It's Not Over
by charley07
Summary: Almost two years ago, Nic Quincy left town, leaving Spiederman heartbroken. Now, she's back and he's not so heartbroken anymore. In fact, he's engaged. What happens when the former love of his life decides she's just not over him yet?
1. Background Info

**Alright, alright, I'm already back with the sequel to The Comeback, but I figured some things needed to be known before you start reading the story because remember, this is centered around Spiederman and Tommy's little sister, Nic. I highly recommend reading The Comeback first to understand who Nic is exactly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Instant Star_, obviously. But if I did, Spiederman would be mine. lol.**

Okay, here's the background:

Set almost two years after The Comeback

Jude and Tommy are still happily married; Jude's legally adopted Sophie and they also have almost two-year-old, Lex

Sadie and Kwest have their first baby, Isabelle

Wally lives with his girlfriend of forever, Jessica

Nic and Spiederman are still Sophie's Godparents

They were together for six months before she bailed on him for Paris

Nic returns to Toronto two weeks before Spiederman's wedding to Wally's cousin, Monica and all hell breaks loose on the homefront


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Oh yah, here it is, the sequel. So, there are less chapters to this one, but they're longer, so in total, it's only 20 pages shorter on Word, so no worries. And to golfa chickie- I know you love Spied with Jude and your stories make me love Spied with Jude, but I hope you like him with Nic, too. Now onto It's Not Over...**

**Disclaimer: Really, must I say it again? I don't own it and you know this.**

"Uh-oh," Kwest Taylor muttered to his wife, Sadie, and Sadie's younger sister, Jude Harrison-Quincy, as they stood in the lobby of the Toronto Civic Center, waiting on the annual city-wide production of _The Nutcracker_, starring Jude's daughter, Sophie, to start. "This isn't good."

Kwest was talking about the fact that outside, a cab had just dropped off Nic Quincy, Jude's sister-in-law and Sophie's Godmother, and she was slowly making her way up the steps into the building, carrying her Louis Vuitton luggage, looking like a supermodel, as always, in her Ralph Lauren winter gear.

"Are Spiederman and Monica here yet?" Sadie asked, rocking her and Kwest's six-month-old daughter, Isabelle, to sleep before the show started. "I know he's for sure coming, but is she?"

Jude nodded sadly. "Yeah, and poor Nic will be heartbroken when she hears that Spied's still trying to convince me and Tommy to make Monica Sophie's Godmother. I mean, _Sophie_ doesn't even know about it cause she would freak; Nic still talks to her on the phone every other day."

"She doesn't have to anymore," Sadie whispered as Nic approached. "Hey!" she said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

Nic hugged them all, Jude especially. "I was released from the French office and sent back to Toronto as the new co-editor." She looked around and pulled off her scarf. "Where's my darling older brother?" she asked, referring to Tom Quincy, Jude's husband. "On the phone with Darius, working as usual?"

Tommy was an internationally-known producer at G-Major Records, along with Kwest, who was also an engineer. Darius Mills, the president and CEO, had once been Tommy's manager when Tommy was in the highly popular 90's boy band, Boyz Attack, and he now managed Jude, Canada's biggest music star. Sadie had once been a receptionist at the label, but was now working part-time as a dance teacher at a local ballet studio.

"He's backstage with Sophie, giving her flowers," Jude replied, opening her arms for the crazy, almost two-year-old brunette running for them. "Lex, look who's here."

Lex, Tommy and Jude's youngest daughter, squealed upon seeing Nic. "Nic!"

"Hi, baby!" Nic grinned, taking her from Jude. "You are gorgeous."

"I know," Lex laughed.

"Wow, she is _definitely_ Tommy's daughter," Nic teased. "So, where's the Godfather?"

Jude looked over Nic's shoulder as Vincent Spiederman, or just Spiederman, Sophie's Godfather, walked inside with Monica Robbins, his fiancé. "Uhh, he just got here."

"Oh, my God," he muttered, stepping up behind Nic. "What happened to 'permanently in Paris?'" he asked coldly. "At least, that's what I think the voice-mail said once upon a time."

Nic spun around to see Spiederman, her ex-boyfriend, standing in front of her, as gorgeous as ever, with his arm around a platinum blonde woman. "You must be Monica," she said sweetly. "I've read about you a lot recently in _Us Weekly_ and _OK!_ Your wedding is the talk of the year in the tabloids, too."

"Uhh, yeah," Monica smiled nervously. "You're Nic, right?"

"The one and only," Tommy reported, coming up behind her. "Miss me so much since we visited for Thanksgiving that you had to come home?" He hugged his baby sister tightly. "Does Ralph Lauren pay you to advertise for him?"

Nic looked down at her dark wash straight jeans, navy blue blazer, and red pea coat, all by the famous designer. "He might as well. Him and Coco Chanel."

"She's dead," Monica spoke up.

"He really picked a winner," Nic whispered to Sadie and Jude as the lights flickered, telling everyone to get inside to their seats. "Cause really, I had no idea my favorite designer was no longer living. I mean, I've only been wearing Chanel since I was seven."

Sadie laughed. "She's a cute girl, though; dry and boring, but cute."

"Not Spiederman," Jude disagreed. "I like Monica, I do, but she's not right for him the way you once were, Nic."

"_Once_ being the operative word there," Nic sighed, reaching into her Chanel tote bag for a large diamond ring that she slid onto her ring finger. "Spiederman isn't the only one with wedding bells in his future."

"What is _that_?!" Jude cried, reaching for Nic's hand. "Not the snowboarder?"

"The snowboarder," Nic confirmed. "Come on, Jude, you said you liked him last month."

Jude rolled her eyes. "I meant that in the same way I like cheese, socks, and David Letterman. I didn't mean I'd like you to marry him, Nic."

Tommy, who had been leading them all to their seats, stopped in his tracks as if finally hearing the conversation behind him. "What?"

"It seems as though your darling little sister is set to be married to Tra Malcolm, the internationally-known playboy of a professional snowboarder," Jude responded. "You remember, the one who was two hours late for dinner on Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, please, focus on his negatives," Nic muttered, falling into her seat between Tommy and Jude, feeling like a child. "You barely even know him," she added sadly, under her breath.

"Neither do you," Tommy pointed out. "You met him in what, July? Nic, that's hardly a rational decision, you know."

Luckily for both Jude and Tommy, the lights dimmed and the curtain pulled back as the performance started.

"She's doing wonderfully," Sadie announced at the beginning of intermission. "Better than me when I starred in this show way back when."

Kwest's jaw dropped. "Can I get that in writing?"

"Not unless you plan to sleep in a guest room tonight," she replied jokingly.

They were all now back in the lobby, standing in a corner, avoiding the topic of Nic's engagement for as long as possible. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't long enough.

"Nic, how did it happen?" Tommy asked. "You've always been so responsible."

"What?" Spiederman spoke up, putting his cell phone into his pocket. "She pregnant?"

Nic glared at him. "No, you half-wit, I'm engaged."

His face, which had been covered in a smirk towards her all night, fell. "You are?" he asked quietly. "To who?"

"Tra Malcolm," she answered smugly. She looked back to her overly-concerned brother. "He asked last weekend when we were skiing with Shaun and Danny in Switzerland."

"Nic," Tommy sighed in exasperation, picking up Lex to keep her from chasing other kids. "You can't marry this guy; I mean, he's always all over the place, his girlfriend list is _way_ longer than mine used to be, and last month, you fought like crazy the entire time he was around."

"Stop!" she cried, causing people nearby to stare. "Did I say anything when you married a girl seven years younger than you? Did I respond when she had your child at 19? And did I call you crying when I found out Spiederman was engaged? No, I didn't, so that all just proves I'm old enough to make my own decisions, whether you think they're immature or not!" She spun on her knee-high Ugg boots and ran out into the cold night.

Jude made a move to follow her, but Spiederman grabbed her wrist. "Let her wallow in her own self-pity for once, dude. She's used to getting attention and having everyone chase her, so just this one time, let her see what it's like to be left hanging." And with that, he marched back into the auditorium.

"That's the first time he's ever talked about her leaving him," Jude spoke up. "I mean, when it happened, he just kinda locked himself away for a while, came back, and it was like nothing had _ever_ happened. She was just, like, erased."

Monica cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Umm, I think we should probably go back inside now."

"Monica's right," Tommy agreed. "We'll finish this conversation later tonight."

When Sophie's show ended and she'd gone to spend the night with Spiederman and Monica, Jude and Tommy drove Lex home and prepared to find Nic at their apartment, having gotten in with her spare key. To their surprise, she wasn't there.

"Oh, God," Tommy muttered, dialing her cell phone.

"What?" she snapped, answering angrily. "I'm trying to unpack, Thomas."

"Unpack where?" he asked, pulling out his key to unlock the door to their penthouse. "A hotel?"

A door down the hall opened and Nic stuck her head out. "Or my apartment."

"I thought you sold it?" Jude said, looking around in confusion.

"Sublet," Nic sighed, hanging up her phone. "Where's Sophie?"

"Spending the night at Spied's," Jude replied. "Why don't you come down and talk to us, Nic?"

"Cause I don't want to be patronized," Nic answered honestly. "I mean, no offense, but just because you all are married and have your lives on track doesn't mean you have the right to tell me how to handle mine."

Tommy ran a hand through his hair tiredly, rocking a sleeping Lex. "Nic, please? We won't say anything; we just want to hear about all this Tra Malcolm stuff."

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "Only if you promise not to judge."

"We promise," Tommy said, knowing he was lying.

Once inside the upscale penthouse, Jude put Lex to bed and joined her husband and sister-in-law in the living room, sitting down with Tommy on the couch. Nic sat on the floor, playing with her hair.

"Well," she started, "what do you guys want to know?"

"Have you really thought this through?" Tommy asked slowly, as if thinking about how to word the question. "I mean, marriage isn't something you joke about."

"Says the guy whose Vegas marriage only lasted four months," Nic smirked, referring to Tommy's first marriage at 18 to Portia Mills, Darius' sister. "And yes, I have. We've been together for five months and I love him, Tommy. Why can't you be happy for me just this once?"

"Nic, I am happy for you, as long as you're happy for yourself," Tommy finally stated. "I just want to make sure you know what you're doing so you don't make the same stupid mistakes I made early in my adult life."

Nic sighed and closed her eyes. "I know, but I've already made the biggest mistake of my life, so I think I'm on the right track these days."

Jude looked at her husband sadly, knowing that Nic meant everything that had happened with Spiederman. "Tonight was the first time he's ever mentioned it," she spoke up quietly. "We still don't even know what really happened that night other than he stormed out of your apartment and 24 hours later, you were in Paris."

"It was so bad," Nic smiled sadly. "I mean, I'm a Quincy, so I've f-ed up my fair share of times but this took the cake for life, no matter what happens in the future."

"Will you tell us?" Tommy asked, almost nervously.

"Might as well," Nic said. "We were sitting around, watching _Dude, Where's My Car?_ and all of a sudden, he asks me to move in with him."

Jude's eyes widened. "Wasn't he still living with his parents when you left?"

"Yeah, but it was right after he'd bought the loft," Nic explained, referring to the studio loft he now lived in. "Anyways, I froze. I mean, I knew we were totally getting serious and whatnot, but wow, moving in together? That was a lot, so I said I couldn't. And it was like a switch went off in his head cause he freaked out. I mean, he stood up and started yelling, telling me I was scared and he just left. Of course, I broke down, flipped out, over-reacted and bolted." She was now silently crying. "And it was, by far, the stupidest mistake of my life."

"Oh, Nic," Jude said, sitting down to hug her sister-in-law. "It's not so bad; I mean, you found Tra out of it, right?"

"I guess," Nic muttered, "but to be honest, if I could have Spiederman back, I'd trade Tra in a heartbeat."

Tommy stared at his sister. "I know, but maybe it'll all work out for the best." He stood up and yawned. "Well, I'll come down and help you situate yourself back into your apartment. What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Umm, I've gotta stop by the office early, and then I was thinking I'd stop by G-Major to see everyone," she said. "Is that alright?"

"Definitely," Jude agreed. "Darius and Portia will be excited to see you."

Once back inside her own apartment, Nic looked around and fought the urge to cry. The last night she'd spent there had been 'the night' and being back brought back all the memories.

_"Move in with me," Spiederman suggested, holding Nic close to him. "I move into the loft in two weeks and your lease will be up, yeah?"_

_"Whoa, what?" Nic replied, looking at him in shock. "Spied, it's only been around six months."_

_He nodded. "Yeah, but it's serious, right? I mean, you always said that you wanted what Jude and Tommy have. Wouldn't moving in together be a step in that direction?"_

_"Yeah, but that's like, a _really_ big step," she pointed out again. "I just don't think I can do that yet."_

_Spiederman stood up and shook his head. "What are you so afraid of, Nic? I mean, this is what you wanted!" he cried. "Why not?"_

_"It's just a lot to handle!" she yelled back, now crying. "Look, I'll admit that I've put up walls since what happened to my mom, and while you're breaking them down at an impressive pace, I know that moving in together will cause chaos that will put them back up instantly. Is that what you want?"_

_"I just want to try!" he almost screamed, grabbing his jacket. "Obviously you don't though." He sighed angrily. "When you know what you want, give me a call." And with that, he stormed out of the apartment._

"Nic, you okay?" Tommy asked, breaking the flashback. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Huh?" she said distractedly. "Oh, I'm fine; just thinking, I guess."

"Well, are you alright to stay here by yourself?" he wondered, staring at her with concern like a good older brother. "You can stay in Sophie's room."

She shook her head. "No, I'm good. Uhh, I'll call you tomorrow when I leave work to let you know I'm on my way."

"Okay," he nodded, kissing her cheek softly. "Nic, no matter what happens, remember that me, Jude, and the girls love you."

"Thanks," she yawned. "I love you all, too."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, I'm really excited to post this story cause I got such positive feedback from The Comeback, so here you go.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own it.**

The next morning, after getting herself back into the mold at _The Chronicle_, the prestigious literary magazine she was now a co-editor of, she sat in the front seat of her two-seater Mercedes convertible, the one she'd left in storage, trying to decide whether she wanted to go to G-Major or not.

"Just do it," she told herself, turning on the car.

"Oh, my God!" Portia, G-Major's publicist, squealed when Nic walked into the studio fifteen minutes later. "What are you doing back?"

"Like I could stay away from Darius forever?" she teased, feeling his presence behind her. "I still can't believe he doesn't know I'm totally in love with him."

Darius smirked. "I'm glad those uptight Parisians didn't take away your charming sense of humor, Nicole."

"Ooh, hated first name usage," she winced. "That hurts, D-Man."

"Tough love," he shrugged, hugging her tightly. "It's good to have you back, kid; things sure have been different without you."

"That's for sure," Portia agreed, watching as Spiederman walked into the building with Monica in tow. "He's not even the same person anymore."

Nic sighed and looked in their direction, now seeing that Kyle Bateman and Wally Robbins, the drummer and bass player for The Spiederman Mind Explosion, Jude's back-up, and now also solo, band, had joined them.

"He may be a new guy, but the music that new guy brings is phenomenal," Darius admitted. That was Darius for you; always looking at every situation from a business perspective. "Maybe your return will inspire him?" he mused, walking off to his massive office. "I hope so!" he called over his shoulder before slamming the door.

"He's sick," Nic laughed. "Really and truly sick."

Portia nodded sadly. "And yet, I got stuck growing up with him."

"Holy Knights of Columbus, Nic Quincy is in the house!" Kyle yelled, his gaze suddenly landing on her. He gave Wally a knowing look and they ran and tackled her simultaneously. "And just when we'd all thought you were dead..."

"Thought, hoped, it's all the same," Spiederman said, approaching them with Monica.

"Wow," Nic whistled, standing up and straightening out her dark, softly curled hair. "That's a low blow there, Vincent."

"Don't tell me about low blows, Nic," he seethed. "Because you fired the ultimate by packing up and leaving two years ago with nothing but a lame excuse of a voicemail on my answering machine."

Nic clenched her fists and let out a calming breath before speaking. "Instead of responding to your childishness, I'm going to go see if Tommy and Jude are around." And with that, she spun on her Ralph Lauren clogs and walked towards studio A.

"That could've gone better," Wally spoke up. "I mean, yeah, it was crappy of her to leave like she did, but it's been almost two years, dude. Plus, you're getting married so maybe you should grow up and forgive her like a normal human?"

"And maybe you should work on the second verse in Jude's new song," Spiederman shot back bitterly. "Now, can we just go record?"

Monica spent the day watching the frosty interaction between her fiancé and his beautiful ex-girlfriend. He'd look at her, she'd stick out her tongue; he'd yell something irrelevant, she'd laugh in his face. While Monica had known that Spiederman had loved Nic, she'd never began to fully understand the depth of it until now.

"Hey, Mon, you wanna go get some lunch?" Wally asked her around 1:30. "I was gonna go pick up something from Taco Bell, but you look bored."

"Sure," she agreed, putting on her Isaac Mizrahi wool coat. "So, how come you never told me much about Nic and Vince?" she asked, following him out to his Toyota Corolla. "All I know really is that they dated and then she left."

Wally shrugged nervously. "Wasn't much to tell, I guess."

"Please," she scoffed. "I've spent the last three hours watching them, Wally; they were definitely more than you all let on."

"It's in the past," he assured her. "Don't worry about it now."

"Yeah," she muttered, looking out the window. "I'll get right on that."

"Hey, Nic, can we talk to you for a minute?" Jude asked Nic as the two of them sat with Tommy in the lobby. "It's about Lex."

Nic put down her back issue of _The Chronicle_ and stared at them. "What, is she in trouble at nursery school?" She laughed. "Well, of course she is; she's a Quincy. But what's up?"

"Well, it all started when we brought Lex in around August," Tommy started. "Maria was busy with her visiting grandkids and we had no other options, so we had to bring her to work."

"And that's when Tommy lost his mind," Jude cut in.

"Meaning?" Nic implored. "I'm not a great mind reader here."

Tommy cleared his throat. "Well, we all know how Darius is always looking for a business edge to everything and he somehow found one with Lex."

"She's not even two," Nic pointed out. "She barely knows the ABC's, let alone how to sing an aria."

"He doesn't want her to sing," Tommy explained. "Apparently, Darius has a friend in LA that handles child models, so he sent her a picture of Lex without our authorization and now this lady wants Lex to come down and do a commercial for Huggies."

Nic stared at Jude in disbelief. "And you're letting this happen?"

"Oh, trust me, I was opposed at first," Jude admitted. "I mean, I was 15 when entered the limelight and that was bad enough, but to let it happen to my two-year-old? I don't think so." She looked at her husband. "But, Tommy respects Darius and knows how business savvy he is, so I agreed to _one _commercial."

"Okay, but when that commercial does well, then what?" Nic asked.

"We'll see," Tommy replied. "Darius knows we're still on the fence about this child modeling thing. Plus, Sophie has been feeling a little left out."

"And that's where you come in," Jude interrupted. Just that previous summer, she'd formally adopted Sophie, Tommy's seven-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. "See, we've agreed to go down to Beverly Hills next week to do this commercial, but Sophie has school and we'll be gone from Thursday to Sunday and we don't want her missing two days."

"And you want her to stay with me?" Nic guessed. "I'd love to, but is that really a good idea? I mean, I'll spend as much time with her as possible, but I'm just getting back into work and I'll have a lot of late nights for a while. Can't she stay with Sadie and Kwest?"

"That's our third option," Jude spoke quietly.

"Third?" Nic repeated. "As in, there's a second?" She shook her head slowly. "You would really let her stay with that _kid_ and his child bride? That's hardly a stable environment, Tommy."

He sighed. "Nic, I know that you're unhappy about Spiederman being engaged, but so are you."

"But it's different!" she defended herself. "I'm not in your face everyday, begging you to make Tra Sophie's Godfather instead of Spied; I'm not flaunting my engagement ring, which, by the way, is a lot nicer than hers; and finally, I just don't think that's such a good idea."

Tommy wanted to refute her last statement but Jude stopped him. She saw the look of hurt in her sister-in-law's eyes; she knew the Spiederman/Monica engagement was breaking her heart. "We'll just talk about this later, okay?"

Before Nic or Tommy could respond, Wally and Monica entered the studio, carrying multiple bags of food from Taco Bell, everyone's favorite fast foot restaurant.

"She's a mess," Kwest noted later that night as he and Tommy sat at the soundboard in studio C, mixing Jude's newest song, 'Wrecking Day.' "I mean, she might _say_ she's happy with Tra Malcolm, but you know she's not."

"I know," Tommy murmured, looking out the glass doors to the lobby to see his sister reuniting with Sophie. "But she's so strong-willed and independent that saying anything to her sends her off the wall."

"Yeah," Kwest nodded, yawning. "Man, babies are not easy to schedule around."

Tommy chuckled. "Says the proud papa. Is she talking yet?"

"Sadie _swears_ she said 'mama' the other day, but unless I'm present or see it on tape, I'm not believing anything," Kwest smiled. "What were Sophie and Lex's first words?"

Tommy gave him a pointed look. "We both know I wasn't around for Sophie's first word and the first word out of Lex's mouth was literally 'bad,'" he laughed, remembering the moment. "And she's lived up to that reputation nicely."

"Don't I know it," Kwest agreed, looking at his watch. "Well, I think I'm gonna head out for the night." He stood up and put on his coat. "Do you want me to turn off the lights out there?" he asked, knowing that if Tommy was working alone, he liked the darkness.

"Uhh, go ahead," Tommy nodded. "Can you take Sophie home to Jude and Lex? They left when Jude finished recording and I'd like to talk to Nic before we leave."

Kwest left the studio, leaving Tommy to his thoughts. He knew there was something odd about Nic's relationship with Tra, as he and Jude would've been the first people she'd have called when it happened, and he wanted to figure it out.

"You wanted to see me?" she said, silently letting herself into the dark room to settle on a randomly placed beanbag. "What's up?"

Tommy saved his work and shut off the equipment before spinning in his chair to face her. "Let's talk."

"Not again," she muttered tiredly. "Tommy, there's nothing to talk about; I'm marrying Tra, Spied's marrying Monica, and we're not going to be friends, have coffee, and talk about it. That's that."

"And you're alright with all that?" he asked sincerely. "Not even being friends?"

"How could we be?" she replied. "I just up and _left_ him, Tommy! That's what you and I are good at: leaving when things get rough! Sure, yours was distinctly important for Sophie, but you did it nonetheless and never told Jude anything. Luckily, she loved you enough to make it work, but Spiederman? Not so much."

He leaned back in his chair. "Nic, he loved you and he still does. If you won't believe me, ask Kyle or Wally, or even Jamie; trust me, they all hear it enough."

"Tommy, that's a lie and you know it," she murmured sadly. "And now, I need to get going." She stood up and yawned. "I'm gonna take Sophie shopping tomorrow, so don't make any plans for her."

"Alright," he agreed, following her into the lobby, only to find that Spiederman had come back to the studio. "What are you doing here?"

"Forgot my guitar picks," he replied numbly, holding up the little leather pouch. "Why are _you_ still here?"

Nic ignored him and went to Portia's office where she'd stashed her coat earlier in the day.

"I was finishing up 'Wrecking Day' and she was hanging out with Sophie before I sent her home with Kwest," Tommy explained. "So, what did Monica think of Nic?"

Spiederman sat down on the vintage couch and shrugged. "She said she looks a lot like you and that she's funny."

"And what did _you_ think of Nic?" Tommy continued, sitting opposite him in the reclining chair.

"Tommy," Spiederman mumbled, "it's so hard."

That wasn't the answer Tommy had been expecting. "What do you mean?" he asked with interest.

"Now I know how Jude felt when she saw you at the end of the altar at Sadie and Kwest's wedding two years ago," Spiederman half-whispered. "Half hurt, half infuriated. Like, who does she think she is to come waltzing back into my life after all this time, announcing she's engaged to some pro snowboarder? And she just drops names like 'Shaun' and 'Danny,' totally meaning Shaun White and Danny Cass, like it's nothing."

"Well, for her, it's not," Tommy admitted. "Those are Tra's closest friends. I mean, it would be like you going somewhere and talking about 'Mason' or 'Jude' without using last names, right?"

"I guess so," Spiederman shrugged. After a minute of awkward silence, he spoke again. "She looks good."

"She always has," Tommy agreed. "Growing up, it was hard to defend her, even when she was ten."

Spiederman smiled softly. "I'm sure she could've held her own, even then. Nic's pretty tough."

Nic, who'd been standing just inside Portia's office, smirked at that. If only he knew how weak and vulnerable she'd been upon moving to France; how many nights she'd cried herself to sleep; how she'd drank away her tears when she read the story about his engagement. He wouldn't say she was so tough then.

"Hey, Nic, you about ready?" Tommy called out, breaking her thoughts. "It's late and Jude ordered Chinese!"

"Goody," Nic muttered, leaving the office and shutting the door. "Yeah, let's go cause I've got eight packets of Ramen noodles waiting to be boiled."

"Yum," Spiederman said dryly, standing up. "Well, Monica's cooking spaghetti, so I'm gonna go." He half-nodded and left the studio, walking out to his blue Jeep Wrangler.

"I miss him," Nic blurted out. Her hand inadvertently went to her mouth. "I can't believe I just said that."

"Like I didn't know?" Tommy teased, turning off all the remaining lights as he followed her out to the parking lot. "Nic, it's okay to admit it, you know? He was your first love and it's normal for you to have feelings for him forever."

Nic shook her head. "No, I don't mean that I _care_ for him, Tommy; I mean that I love him."

"And Tra?" he asked, unlocking his black Range Rover. "Do you love him? I mean, you're marrying him, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I love him," she lied, climbing into her Mercedes.

"Okay," Tommy nodded, not buying it for a second.

While she waited for the Chinese to be delivered, Jude dug through her junk drawer for a phone number Nic had given her three months ago when she was still living in Paris. The numbers were a little blurred but once she'd finally decoded them, she dialed into the cordless phone and waited in anticipation for an answer.

"Hello?" a tired male voice muttered on the other end.

"Uhh, Tra Malcolm?" she said a little nervously.

"Yeah, who's this?" he replied.

"Umm, hi, I'm Jude Harrison-Quincy, Nic's sister-in-law?" she replied timidly, sitting down at the bar in the kitchen. "I know it's incredibly late, or early, in France right now, but this is the only time I'm ever alone and I was calling to see if you could possibly be in Toronto by next weekend?"

There was silence on the pro snowboarder's end. "What for?"

"Well, I'd like to throw an engagement party cause I know the wedding is gonna be sooner than later," she explained.

"Engagement party for who?" he asked. "I don't know anyone getting married."

Jude was confused. "Well, you and Nic are."

Tra laughed. "Yeah and Heidi Klum is our priest. Who told you Nic and I were getting married?"

"She did," she replied, now feeling incredibly embarrassed. "She got back into town last night and said that you had proposed while skiing in Switzerland with your friends last weekend?"

Again, silence. "Uhh, Jude, right? From Thanksgiving? Well, uhh, whatever Nic told you was a lie. I mean, I never even got the chance, not that I was really planning it or anything."

"What are you talking about?" Jude wondered. "Why would she make that up? I mean, she had a certified, Harry Winston engagement ring."

"Look at it a little closer," Tra advised. "It was her mother's. And, as for her lies, I don't really know. All I do know is that on Monday, I went to her apartment and found her drunk off her rocker, clutching her remote and the latest copy of _Us Weekly_ with a headline about your guitarist and your bass player's cousin. I asked her if she was okay and she said she didn't love me and that we couldn't see each other anymore."

"Spiederman," Jude muttered under her breath. "I should've known." She cleared her throat. "Umm, okay, thanks. And Tra, I'm really sorry she did that to you cause you seemed like a nice guy last month."

"Thanks," he replied. "And tell Nic I hope she does well."

Jude hung up the phone just as Tommy walked into the penthouse. "We have a huge problem," she announced. "What is it with you Quincy's creating outrageous lies to cover the truth?"

"Care to elaborate?" he asked, hanging up his signature leather jacket. "What's Nic lied about now?"

"Oh, it's big," she assured him. "In fact, you should probably sit down for this one."

"Now I'm worried," he said, sitting down on the overstuffed couch. "Is it bad?"

"Oh, yeah," she breathed. "Well, I was thinking that since she'd mentioned this afternoon that she and Tra were marrying next month that I'd throw a little engagement party for them, right? So, I go and find the number Nic had given me to Tra's apartment in case we ever needed it for an emergency. He answers and I tell him the idea and he drops a bomb."

Tommy sighed and closed his eyes. "They're not engaged, are they?"

"Not only that," she confirmed, "but she dumped him last Monday when he found her drunk and clutching the _Us Weekly_ that broke the story about Spied and Monica."

"And the ring?" he asked. "It was my mom's, wasn't it?" Jude nodded and he shook his head. "I thought it looked familiar, but then I thought, _'well, Nic idolized Mom's ring, so maybe they just had a similar one made.'_ Turns out, I was wrong."

"Way wrong," Jude nodded as the doorbell rang. "Lex, Sophie, come eat!" she yelled to her daughters who were watching TV in the entertainment room. "We'll talk about this later," she added to Tommy, opening the door to pay the delivery man.

Nic put her plastic Tupperware bowl of beef-flavored Ramen noodles and water into the microwave and turned on the TV in her kitchen while she waited for it to cook.

_"And, in news concerning the upcoming marriage of teen heartthrob Vincent Spiederman of the Spiederman Mind Explosion, it was reported today that Spiederman's ex-girlfriend and the sister-in-law to Jude Harrison, Nic Quincy, was seen walking into G-Major Studios after disappearing from her public relationship with the guitarist almost two years ago,"_ Mary Hart announced on _Entertainment Tonight_. _"For more on the story, check and we'll keep you updated with the news of her return."_

"Good lord," Nic muttered to herself, turning off the TV as her cell phone rang. She found her hot pink Motorola Razr and flipped it open, not paying attention to the caller ID. "Hello?"

"That was a good one, telling everyone there that we're engaged," Tra's voice came through the line. He didn't sound mad, just curious. "Care to explain that one, Nic?"

"Uhh, no?" she answered, taking the plastic bowl from the microwave as it finished cooking. "It's a long story, Tra."

"Well, your sister-in-law woke me up, so I'm up," he told her. "And I've got time to spare."

Nic sighed and settled onto her red couch, a gift from Jude when Jude had given the apartment to Nic over two years before when she'd moved in with Tommy. "Alright, well, remember Monday when you came to my studio and I was drunk and slurring and holding that magazine with Jude's guitarist on the cover?"

"Yeah," he answered. "And then you dumped me."

"Right, first time for everything," she laughed. "Anyways, I dated him, the guitarist, for six months before I moved to Paris; actually, our break-up came _because _I moved to Paris. Well, turns out, I'm still pretty much in love with him and when I came back here, I didn't want to look super desperate, so I pulled out my mom's ring and made up the story about Shaun and Danny and Switzerland." She sighed. "It was completely stupid, I know, but for not wanting to look desperate, I was pretty desperate."

Tra was quiet for a minute. "Do you think Jude's told him we're not engaged yet?"

"Not without talking to me first," she replied. "And I haven't heard from her yet, so I don't think so." She paused. "Why do you ask?"

"Nic, you may have blind-sided me with the sudden break-up, but contrary to your belief, I still care about you," he told her. "And, if you want to keep up your story, I could make an appearance sometime later in the week," he offered. "That is, if you want me to?"

"Could you be in by Monday night?" she asked quickly. "I know that's sudden but their ridiculous farce of an engagement party is that night at a _country club_, for crying out loud, and even though I wasn't formally invited, I'm going; having you as a date would be an added bonus."

"I can do that," he agreed. "But I can only stay until Wednesday night cause we're doing a Mountain Dew commercial in Australia on Friday."

"You're a decent guy, Tra Malcolm," she stated. "Even if all your other ex-girlfriends would argue that."

They exchanged some more information before hanging up, leaving Nic to her dinner and the True Hollywood Story of Hugh Hefner. But, before the first commercial break even ended, her apartment phone rang. Without looking at who it was, because she already knew, she answered it. "Yes?"

"Oh, Nicole," Tommy said in a sing-song voice. "Would you care to explain the phone call my wife had about half an hour ago?"

"Uhh, no," Nic replied honestly. "I'm watching TV, Thomas, so can it wait?"

"I don't think so," he told her. "Nic, is there any particular reason you told everyone you're engaged to Tra Malcolm when you're not even seeing him anymore?"

Nic rolled her eyes. "Why do you think, Tommy?"

"I know, Nic, but come on!" he cried. "Did you really think that would be a good idea? I mean, Sadie's turned Jude into Domestication Barbie, so she hears 'engagement' and thinks 'party' now. You knew it would have to come out sooner or later."

"Actually," she began mischievously, "it doesn't."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" he asked himself. "Now what are you planning, oh Great One?"

"So, because Big Mouth Harrison-Quincy had to go and call Tra, I received a phone call myself not too long ago," she explained. "Anyways, I told him the entire story that I'd never really told him before, about me leaving Spiederman and all that, and he _offered_ to come into town Monday to keep up the appearance that we're engaged for the engagement party."

Tommy was silent on his end. "Nicole, I've heard a lot of horrible, really bad ideas in my life, most of them having been my own, but that one takes the cake. You cannot do that."

"Watch me," she smirked. "Look, I'm not gonna try to 'upstage' the bride and groom or anything, but when have I ever gone to a party without making an entrance of importance?" she asked. "And to make that entrance with Tra Malcolm, the only extreme athlete everyone on the planet has ever heard of? Talk about intriguing."

"Just beware of the repercussions you'll be facing," he warned warily, stifling a yawn. "Well, us old men have to go to bed by 10:30 these days, so I'll see you in the morning." He hung up, as did Nic.


	4. Author's Note

Okay, I need some help. I can't tell you what I need these things for, you'll have to wait for later on in this story, and possibly the future stories, to find out, but help is necessary for continuation. So, I'm looking for:

** original wedding songs- **they don't have to be well-known or whatever, just fitting. can't say where they'll go, i just need them. any ideas are good.

**original baby names**- someone will have a child and i need names that would be good for the inner G-Major circle, so no Ashley's or Brittany's or Ryan's. those are nice names but they lack creativity.

okay people, amaze me with your imaginations. love you. charley.


	5. Author's Note 2

Alright, so, thanks to suggestions, I think I've come up with a baby name for a girl and a wedding song, but I'll still take suggestions if you think they're amazing. Anyways, I need a boy's name still and I'm looking for something that would really mean something to one of these people **(cause I can't say who it's for):**

**Jude**

**Kyle**

**Spiederman**

**Sadie**

Okay, thanks guys. Love you. Charley.


	6. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, here's a real update and not just an Author's Note. Sorry about that, I just needed names and songs. Still do, actually. But, uhh, I like this chapter, so I hope you do, too.**

**Disclaimer: I should just make a stamp, but I don't own _Instant Star_. I do own Jessica, Sophie, Lex, and of course, Nic.**

The following morning, Spiederman woke up to an empty bed and a house full of commotion. As he made his way to the steps leading to the kitchen, he heard Sophie, who had spent her second night there after coming over late, and Monica fighting...again.

"I don't want pancakes and you can't make me eat them!" Sophie screamed. "Nic wouldn't make me eat pancakes!"

"Well, I'm not Nic, am I?" Monica replied rationally, keeping her cool, as always. "I'm Monica and we're having pancakes for breakfast."

"NO!" Sophie yelled. "I wish Vin was marrying Nic instead of you."

"Hey, Soph, don't say that," Spiederman warned, making his appearance in the kitchen. "That's not true and you know it."

Sophie kicked the legs of her chair angrily. "Yes, it is," she muttered.

And Spiederman knew it, too. When he'd told Sophie that he was gonna marry Monica, she threw one of her infamous temper tantrums and didn't speak to him for a week, in true Nic-like fashion. Finally, after much pleading and begging, she'd agreed to like him again if she didn't have to spend much time with Monica.

"So, Soph, what are your plans for the day?" Monica asked nicely. "I was thinking maybe I could take you shopping."

"Too bad," Sophie sneered. For a seven-year-old, she was pretty sharp; always had been. "My _Godmother_, you know, like Vin is my _Godfather_, is taking me."

"That's it," Spiederman sighed, picking up the phone off it's receiver and dialing Jude.

"Hello?" Lex answered cutely.

"Hi, Lexy Loo," he joked, knowing, like her father, she hated ridiculous nicknames. "It's Uncle Spied; is your mom there?"

"MOMMY!" Lex screamed.

Moments later, Jude picked up. "Hello?"

"I think it's time I bring Sophie home for the day," he told her. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Let me guess: another fight?" Jude assumed. "Sorry, Spied. I guess Tommy and I will talk to her."

"Me, too," he agreed. "See you in a bit, dude." He hung up and turned to his fiancé and Goddaughter. "Soph, go get dressed."

"Yay!" she cried, running off to the room he'd always kept for her.

A little while later, as Spiederman was leading Sophie upstairs, Nic's door opened and she emerged for her morning paper, wearing only a short pair of Victoria's Secret boy shorts and a white fitted t-shirt.

"Hi, Soph," she smiled warmly at the girl. "Spied," she nodded vaguely, glancing at the front page as she spoke his name.

"Nic, put some clothes on," Tommy advised, opening the penthouse door to let his daughter inside. "It's the end of December."

"I'm well aware of the months, Thomas," she sneered, winking at Sophie as her niece ran inside. "Be ready in an hour, kid, cause I've got plenty of money to waste on you today." With that, she returned to her apartment, slamming the door in the process.

"So, Tra's really lucky to have _that_," Spiederman remarked sarcastically. "She's so happy and pleasant in the mornings."

Tommy smiled. "It was something you liked waking up to once upon a time."

"Yeah, well, I used to like Savage Garden and Matchbox 20," Spiederman replied quietly. "You gonna hold that against me, too?"

"Fine, I won't say anymore," Tommy assured him, backing off. "But maybe you should consider what Nic's going through right now before you go making her life a disaster, okay?" He turned and walked into his penthouse, staring at his wife, who was trying to dress Lex.

"Where is she?" he asked, referring to his oldest child. "She can't keep behaving like this."

"Yeah, well, it's not like Spied's really giving her any transitional leeway," Jude reported. "He's kinda forcing her to be around Monica after he promised he wouldn't."

"I know, but we have to talk to her still," he replied, holding Lex still while Jude put on her sweatshirt. "Come on, Lex, let your mommy dress you, please?"

"Fine," Lex huffed, relenting to her parents wishes. Once she was dressed, she sighed. "Can I play?"

"Go on," Jude nodded, watching her run off to her bedroom. "Hey, Sophie, come out a minute, would you?" she called out.

Sophie emerged from her room in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, smiling innocently. "What?"

"Don't try to pretend you don't know what's going on," Tommy advised, sitting her between him and Jude on the couch. "Did you fight with Monica again today?"

"Yes, I did," she answered honestly. "But she started it, Daddy, cause I didn't want any pancakes."

"I know, Soph, but that doesn't mean you can scream at her about hating her," Jude put in. "I know you want Spied to be with your aunt Nic, we all secretly do, but that's not happening, okay?"

Tommy stared at his wife in disbelief. It was clear amongst the adults that they'd all hoped Spiederman would see that Monica was a rebound and make his way back to Nic, but none of them had ever admitted that to Sophie, who couldn't keep a secret to save her life. "Uhh, Jude?"

"I know, Tommy, but it's true," she replied, not taking her eyes off of her daughter. "Sophie, I'll make you a deal, alright?"

"Okay," Sophie agreed.

"We will not require you to spend _any_ time with Monica outside of group functions, _if_ you promise not to talk badly about her when you're with Vin, okay?" Jude compromised.

Sophie thought about it. "Alright, Mommy. I can do that."

"I know you can," Jude smiled, hugging her tightly. "Now, finish getting ready to go shopping with Nic."

Nic stood in the threshold of her bedroom, trying to will herself not to cry. Unfortunately, every time she saw Spiederman, that was the emotion that filled her. She wasn't crying because he was getting married or because he no longer loved her; no, she cried because if it weren't for her, she wouldn't have been crying at all.

"Hey, Nic, are you here?" she heard a male voice call out. "It's, uhh, Kyle?"

She quickly wiped her eyes and threw on a pair of sweat pants she had laying on the ground before walking out to her living room. "Hey, what's up?"

"So, me and Wally were talking last night at the rehearsal space, cause Spied blew us off for some dinner with Monica and her parents, and we came to a decision," he explained seriously, sitting down at her bar.

"And what was that decision?" she asked warily. "That you're finally ready to come out as lovers?" She clapped. "That's so cute, Ky; you guys make a darling couple."

He smirked. "Funny, kid. No, we've agreed that the Spiederman/Robbins wedding _cannot_ go down."

Nic, who'd been taking a drink of her coffee, stopped. "What do you mean 'cannot go down?' Monica is Wally's cousin. Why would he sabotage her?"

"It's nothing against Monica," he assured her. "It's just that she makes Spiederman very un-Spiederman-like."

"Elaborate," she demanded.

He took a deep breath. "He lets her call him 'Vince,' for starters. I mean, other than Sophie, who calls him 'Vin,' _everyone_ he knows has called him 'Spiederman' or 'Spied' since the sixth grade. His own parents, who have the same last name, call him that. Secondly, he's changed and you know it. I mean, the guy I've known my whole life would _never_ have his engagement party in a country club, let alone allow some yuppie conservatives to plan his wedding. And most importantly, she requires him to spend less time with music and more time with her. The band is suffering, even if he won't admit it, Nic."

"You're right," she agreed rationally. "But what do you want me to do about it?" She held up her false engagement ring. "I'm getting married, too."

"I know, but to Tra Malcolm?" he scoffed. "You can't possibly love him more than you once loved Spied, can you? I mean, he's written more songs about you than Jude's written about Tommy over the years, and trust me, that's a lot."

"I've seen the songs Jude's written and it's a library," she told him. "Spied might be creative, but come on."

Kyle shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me."

"I won't," she promised smugly. "Look, I think it's highly noble what you and Wallace are doing, but there's nothing I can do. This whole situation is out of my hands."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered in defeat. "We were afraid you'd say that, so I guess we now have to take things into our own hands."

"That sounds promising," she laughed. "Alright, well, I'm taking Sophie shopping today, so you should go. If you all come up with something good, let me know."

Half an hour later, she let herself into Jude and Tommy's penthouse, smirking at the chaos in front of her. Lex was coloring on the walls with crayons and instead of helping Jude clean it up, Tommy was watching an early football game.

"Tommy, if you want to keep that gorgeous head of hair of yours, I highly suggest you calm _your_ daughter down!" Jude yelled, scrubbing the wall as Lex masterfully colored it. "God, what is it with men and football?"

"Aww, cut him some slack," Nic advised. "Tommy just wants to see what it's like to be a _real_ man, not some lame-o music producer with nine different styling gels and a closet full of Diesel and Ralph Lauren."

Tommy threw a pillow at his sister as the TV went to a commercial. He stood up, swooped Lex into his arms, and carried her off to her bedroom, kicking and screaming the whole way.

"Children are such a joy," Jude muttered, running a hand through her disheveled bangs. "Be glad you don't have any."

"And I never plan to," Nic added. "Too much time, not enough patience."

Jude sighed and stared at her sister-in-law. "Nic, you wanna talk about the Tra thing?"

"Uhh, no," Nic answered. "In fact, until he arrives tomorrow afternoon, I'm not even thinking about it."

"Do you really think it's a good idea?" Jude asked in exasperation. "Lying to make a point?"

Nic rolled her eyes. "Can we leave the fake parenting up to Tommy, please?"

"Fine, fine," Jude relented. "I'll go get Sophie."

Monica gave Spiederman some time that day to hang with the guys while she lunched with her parents for last-minute engagement party details. He called Kyle first, got his voicemail, and dialed Wally.

"He's not around," Jessica Vickers, Wally's longtime girlfriend, said when she answered the phone at their condo. "He and Kyle have been really secretive lately, doing God knows what."

"That's a little worrisome," Spiederman admitted. "Alright, well, if you talk to him, have him call me, yeah?"

"Sure," she agreed, hanging up.

"Dude, you busy?" he asked, calling Jude ten minutes later. "Monica's at the club with her parents and Wally and Kyle are doing something that even Jessica knows nothing about."

Jude smiled. "I guess I can meet for a short jam session at the rehearsal space," she agreed. "Meet me in fifteen."

"Who are you meeting where?" Tommy asked, emerging from Lex's room. "She's sleeping," he added, quietly closing the door.

"The Wife gave Spied a few hours of freedom and since Wally and Kyle are plotting something behind his back, I'm meeting him," she reported, putting on her favorite boots. "So, me and him are gonna go work on some new stuff, I guess. Most likely, though, we'll talk about Nic."

"Most likely," Tommy agreed, kissing his wife softly. "You think, just maybe, we can dump the devil off on your sister or mine tonight for a little time to just be Tommy and Jude again?" he whispered.

"Oh," she whined. "I miss being just Tommy and Jude."

He raised an eyebrow. "See? Kwest is totally digging parenthood, so I bet he'd take Lex. Sophie can stay with Nic."

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded, kissing him once more before standing up to put on her yellow puffy coat. "I won't be all day, I promise."

Spiederman was sitting on an abandoned couch, strumming his guitar, when Jude found him.

"Hey," he said, looking up at her. "How's the monster?"

"Sedated," she joked, pulling her acoustic from it's case. "And her bodyguard is settled on the couch, watching 200-pound men tackle each other for goals."

"Touchdowns," he corrected. "Soccer is goals, football is touchdowns."

She sighed. "Whatever." She sat down on a couch opposite him, and watched as he began to play a familiar tune. "You haven't played that song since she left."

"I've been feeling inspired lately," he mumbled, strumming the chords to the Tyler Hilton cover of 'Missing You.' "Plus, it's got a good chord change."

Jude nodded. "I agree, but it's also about saying you're over someone when you're clearly not." She eyed him. "Something you want to talk about, Mr. Monica?"

"Not really," he lied, setting his guitar aside. "This is just a hard time for me, alright, dude? It's a phase that'll pass as soon as her _fiancé_ comes around."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Well, he's a nice guy, Spied, so give him a chance, alright? It's not like Nic totally iced Monica out or anything."

He closed his eyes. "Why now, Jude? Why does she have to come to town two weeks before my wedding, huh? She's totally messing with my head here."

"Okay, Spied, let me ask you a question," she said, sitting up straight. "Right now, you're admitting that the fact that Nic being back is making you hesitate a little, yes?" He nodded slightly and she continued. "But, if Nic had never come back, would you have married Monica without a second thought?" Again, he nodded. "So, you'd spend the rest of your life wondering what might've been?"

"I already do, everyday," he admitted sadly. He sighed angrily and stood up. "Do you know how hard it is to think you're happy and then for the love of your life to waltz back into your life?"

She cleared her throat pointedly. "Uhh, need I remind you of the time I ran into Tommy at the end of the altar at Sadie and Kwest's wedding? But, look at how good that turned out for he and I."

"Yeah, two crazy kids and a hectic work schedule," he teased. "Besides, I love Monica; this thing with Nic will pass, right?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Spied," she told him, playing her guitar again. "Don't worry, your Nic troubles will be over soon enough, I promise," she prophesied, remembering that Tra was arriving the next day.

Nic parked her Mercedes in the garage at the apartment complex and looked over at Sophie. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah," Sophie smiled, looking at the bag-filled backseat. "Thanks, Nic."

"Anytime, kid," Nic replied happily.

"Vin still calls me that," Sophie whispered. "I don't like Monica, you know."

"Well, you should," Nic advised. "She's gonna be a big part of your life in a couple of weeks, Soph."

"No, she'll be a big part of _Vin's _life," Sophie corrected her aunt.

Nic sighed. "Come on, I promised your parental units I'd have you home for a family dinner." She helped Sophie carry her Limited Too and Gap Kids bags inside and smiled at the sight of Tommy and Lex napping on the couch with a football game on in the background.

Suddenly, before she could wake the little terror to drive him crazy, the door opened again and Jude and Spiederman walked in, laughing and singing some old Rolling Stones song.

"Oh, hey," Jude said, stopping quickly. "How was shopping?" She looked at all the pink and navy blue bags. "Good, I see."

"It's good to see you're making up for your absence with material things," Spiederman sneered coolly. "You can't buy love, Nicole."

"No, but you_ can_ obviously buy used clothes, Vincent," she shot back bitterly, looking at his wardrobe choice. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go call Tra." She winked at Jude and left the penthouse.

"Uhh, Soph, why don't you go put away your new stuff?" Jude suggested. "Spied's gonna stay over for dinner tonight, alright?"

"Alright," Sophie nodded, hurrying back to her room, lugging her new stuff.

"Hey, wake up," Jude said to Tommy, shaking him gently, trying not to wake Lex. "I'm gonna start dinner."

Before she could take a step towards the kitchen, Tommy was up and in front of her. "Oh, no; Jude, girl, you're talented at many, _many_ things, but cooking? Definitely not one of them." He kissed her forehead and went away to work.

"I'm gonna pretend he didn't just insinuate something perverted there," Spiederman laughed, sitting down next to a still-sleeping Lex. "So, how excited are you about this engagement party tomorrow night?"

"Apparently, I'm more excited than the groom is," she replied, sitting down on one of the bar stools. "What's going on, Spied? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Yo, Dr. Phil, calm down," he advised jokingly. "I'm just a little nervous is all. I mean, in two weeks, I'll be _married_, dude."

"Yeah, to the wrong girl," Tommy muttered under his breath as he pulled pieces of chicken from the refrigerator.

"Spied, marriage is a big step," Jude explained. "No offense, but you've never exactly been the most mature guy, so are you sure you're ready for this?"

Spiederman sighed. "Dude, come on. We both know Monica's made me a different guy."

"But has it been for the better?" Jude interrupted. "Don't take that the wrong way, cause I'm just asking. I mean, yes, you _have_ changed because of her, but do you like the new Spiederman? Or should I say 'Vince?'"

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "I guess I'm still trying to get used to him."

"Hi, Mommy," Lex said, waking up from her nap. "Hi, Spied."

"Hey there, Lexy Loo," Spiederman greeted her. "Have a nice nap?"

Lex shrugged. "Was Icky Nicy here?" she asked, using her favorite nickname for her aunt. "I think I heared her," she added, sounding very much like a two-year-old.

"Uhh, she was," Jude confirmed. "But she had to go home and work."

"Why?" Lex asked. "Work stinks."

"I know it," Tommy laughed. "Lex, go help your sister put her clothes away and we'll call you when dinner's ready."

Lex jumped off the couch and raced back to Sophie's room and slammed the door.

"Kids," Jude muttered.

"Too much time, not enough patience," Spiederman laughed.

Jude stared at him. "Wow."

"What?" he asked. "It's the truth."

"No, I know," she agreed, "it's just that Nic said the _exact_ same thing this morning."

"Great minds think alike," Tommy called out.

Spiederman rolled his eyes. "No, great minds think for themselves."

"Suit yourself," Jude sighed, walking into the kitchen. "He's not gonna make it," she whispered to her husband. "Marrying Monica just isn't right for him."

Nic sat at her kitchen table, her hands poised over her laptop and yet, the Word document was completely blank; it had been for two years. When she'd first moved to Toronto all that time ago, she'd been halfway done with her first novel about a guy growing up in a wealthy family and then being disowned and forced to make it on his own. Six months later, she'd finished it. The editor at _The Chronicle_ had told her he knew a guy to send it to and that it would be published. But, after all that happened with Spiederman, one night in Paris, during one of her drunken fits, she'd erased the entire story, losing all her hard work to one shot of tequila.

"Hey," Jessica, Wally's girlfriend, smiled, letting herself into Nic's apartment five minutes later. "It's good to see you."

Nic stood up and faced her onetime good friend. "Yeah," she agreed, hugging her tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was sitting at home, trying to go over stuff for school, when Wallace and Kyle burst in, smiling like little girls," Jessica explained. "I stupidly ask them what's up and suddenly, I'm sucked into the whirlwind they call Operation 'Get Nic To Ruin the Wedding,' totally against my will."

"God," Nic groaned, shutting her computer. "They're completely merciless when it comes to this crap."

Jessica nodded and shook her dirty blonde hair out of her face. "Trust me, I know. Anyways, I was literally _forced_ into my poor little BMW to come over here and _beg_ you to help them out."

"Well, tell Kyle that's strike two," Nic smirked. "I'm not doing anything. I mean, I'm hoping Tra's gonna come into town soon, so I'm all tied up. In fact, he's been wanting to visit his parents in Beverly Hills, so I probably won't even be here for the wedding."

"Yeah, tell me about this engagement stuff," Jessica requested. "Cause Wally came home yesterday, said you were back in town, and quote, 'doing it Vegas–style' with Tra Malcolm."

Nic laughed. "Gotta love the G-Major rumor mill, huh? No, it just happened last weekend and yeah, it's gonna be soon, but not in Vegas." She was getting so good at the big lie now, she was almost believing it herself. "When he comes to Toronto, you can meet him."

"He's gorgeous," Jessica gushed. "Don't get me wrong, I love Wally, but if I could have one crazy night away, it would probably be your fiancé." She paused and tried to hide her smile. "Don't hate me."

"Jess, it sounds much better coming from a friend than from a crazy fan," Nic assured her. "Plus, he's not my fantasy guy, so don't feel bad."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and who might that be?"

_Spiederman_, Nic wanted to say. "Oh, definitely uhh, Andy Roddick; or, just to piss Tra off, I like to say Shaun White, only cause they're best friends."

"Is he the redhead who won at the Olympics a few years ago?" Jessica said. "Yeah, he was cute."

"Total geek," Nic admitted. "Addicted to video games and comic books."

"They always are," Jessica sighed as her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered. "Wally," she whispered to Nic, turning her attention back to the call. "No, Wal, she's not gonna do it." She stopped while he spoke. "Because Spied isn't her problem anymore, that's why. I mean, she's got her own wedding to plan now." He interrupted again. "I'll stop at the store on my way home." Pause. "I love you, too," she said, shutting the phone. "God, those two are such children."

"Touche," Nic laughed. "So, I guess he wants you to leave so you can stop at the store for whatever it is he needs, huh?"

Jessica stood up. "Yeah, he needs cereal for the morning," she explained, putting on her coat. "Will I see you at the engagement party tomorrow night?"

"Eh, I doubt it," Nic lied. "Wasn't invited and I'm not much of a crasher, so no."

"Well, I don't think anyone would mind," Jessica told her. "I'll talk to you later, at least." And with that, she left.

Monica was sitting at her and Spiederman's kitchen table when he walked into the loft later that night. Her hands were properly folded, showing off her engagement ring and perfectly French-manicured hands.

"Hey," he smiled, kissing her cheek softly. "How are your parents?"

"Fine," she answered politely. "What did you do all day?"

He sat down on the couch and sighed. "Uhh, called Wally and Kyle, but when they didn't answer, I met up with Jude at the rehearsal space and we just jammed for a while. Then, she invited me over to dinner with her and that was it. Why?"

"Just curious," she replied. "I gave you an entire day away and I guess I just missed you."

"Well, I missed you, too," he said. "So, everything's ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes," she answered. "You know to be at the club by 5:30, right? Which means you have to leave the studio by 3:00 to get ready."

He nodded. "I can do that."

"Can you?" she asked quietly. "I know this country club bit isn't really your thing, so I'm wondering if you'll be able to pull away from recording to be there on time."

"Mon, hey," he said, sitting down at the table with her. "This is important to me and you know that."

"I know," she replied, "but so is music. It's always been your number one, Vince. Will I ever be able to replace it?"

_No_, he thought to himself. _Not until I'm over Nic._ "You already have," he lied. "Monica, I love you. What don't you understand about that?"

"I understand it," she assured him, taking his hand. "I guess Nic being back in town is just jolting me a little bit."

He rolled his eyes. "Monica, are you serious? She is just a girl from the past, alright? I dated Jude, so why aren't you so intimidated by her?"

"Hmm, possibly cause she's married," Monica answered dryly. "And because when you dated her, she was already in love with Tommy." She suddenly felt very self-conscious. "And don't pretend like Nic was just _some_ girl, Vince; she was _the_ girl, wasn't she?"

"I guess you're gonna make me talk about this sometime, aren't you?" he asked. "Fine, whatever." He leaned back in his chair. "Whatever I tell you, you have to promise not to get mad and freak out, alright?"

"I do," she promised.

Spiederman thought about his words. "When I met Nic, I was just moving along, watching everyone grow up. Wally was already with Jessica, Jude and Tommy were engaged, and Kyle was happy hooking up with random models on the weekends. Nic came in and was just this phenomenal girl that kinda saved me from staying a kid for the rest of my life. We were fun and in love, but it all happened so fast. Then, she left."

"Why didn't you react?" she asked quietly. "Jude said Friday night that you just locked yourself away for a while and then when you came back, you pretended like it had never happened."

"Yeah, well, being front row to seeing my heart stepped on wasn't exactly a picnic I wanted to share with anyone," he explained. He sat up and squeezed her hands gently. "Look, what happened with Nic hurt, bad, but you helped me get over that."

"I'm glad," she told him sincerely. "You deserve better than that."


	7. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here it is- the engagement party. This is definitely one of my favorite chapters and it has my FAVORITE Nic line. The little part is highlighted, so you'll know. And to all my reviewers, I love you. I'm still looking for names, too. And, I know I mentioned in The Comeback something about a oneshot where Jude goes to California for Tommy's wedding. Well, that's been postponed cause I'm working on one now involving Karma, Spiederman, and an American pop princess named Arianna Blake. It's a short, non-Nic story cause it's just an idea I got and I can't make Nic a pop princess, even for just one story. Anyways, on to the update...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

Nic woke up on Monday morning, feeling slightly groggy. As the newly appointedco-editor, she had her say in her schedule, and with Christmas coming the next week, just before the wedding, she had taken the day off to shop for gifts before Tra arrived.

"Good morning, sunshine," Jude teased, letting herself into Nic's apartment at 10:30, laughing as a sleepy Nic poured coffee into a plastic cup. "Can't find any mugs?"

"No," Nic grumbled, taking a long sip. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking to see if you've got any paper towels," Jude replied, going into Nic's pantry. "Lex spilt the entire pitcher of Kool-Aid and Tommy refuses to waste one white towel to clean it up and napkins just aren't doing it."

Nic yawned. "Take whatever you need." She hopped up onto her counter and stretched. "What time do you have to be at G-Major?"

"Eh, whenever," Jude shrugged. "In case you didn't know, I'm sleeping with the vice president, so sometimes they look the other way," she laughed.

"You and Liam, huh?" Nic joked, referring to Liam Fenway, G-Major's A & R rep and other vice president along with Tommy. "You little tramp."

Jude waved it off nonchalantly. "It's all in a day's work." She found the roll of paper towels and made her way back to the door. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Scheduled off," Nic replied. "I haven't done any Christmas shopping, so I'm looking to do all that today."

"Nice," Jude nodded. "Me and Sadie have been done since early this month. If I wait until the last minute, nothing gets done, so we basically locked ourselves in the mall for an entire week to get it bought before everything was gone."

Nic smirked. "See, I'm doing original gifts, so I'm not worried about selling out. I've got money to spend and ideas to fulfill."

"Who's on your list?" Jude asked.

"Let me find it," Nic murmured, digging through her favorite Chanel purse. "Here," she said, pulling it out and handing it to her sister-in-law.

_Sophie, Lex, Jude, Tommy, Mom, Allen, Lydia, Tra, Sadie, Kwest, Isabelle, Portia, Darius, Wally & Jessica, Kyle, Spiederman, _Jude read. "Dang, that's a lot of shopping," she noted. "What are you getting Spiederman?"

"He's the one I'm not sure about," Nic admitted. "Like, I bought a rare set of Tommy Lee's drumsticks off eBay for Kyle and a one-of-a-kind bootleg of The Clash in Tokyo for Wally, but Spied? What do you buy for the guy who has everything?"

"A haircut," Jude smiled. "To be honest, I don't know. I mean, we got him all the _Star Wars _box-sets, and Sophie bought him a Rolling Stones concert t-shirt from 1977, but other than that, I'm fresh out of ideas for the Boy Wonder."

"Great," Nic muttered. "Well, I should get ready. Tra's plane lands at 5:00 and like you said, I have a lot of shopping to do."

Once back at her penthouse, Jude handed Tommy the paper towels as she walked to their bedroom, shut the door, and picked up the phone.

"Incredible Jackass International," Spiederman said seriously when he answered, referring to an old joke between the two of them. "How may I help you?"

"You can tell me what you want most for Christmas," she replied. "Like, if you could have any possible thing and money was no object, what would you ask for?"

There was silence on his end as he thought. "I would have to say a new Fender Telecaster," he finally answered. "The exact one in the window at Willis Music on the way to the studio from my house," he described. "Why?"

"Just wondering," she lied. "Sophie's doing a project for school and she was afraid you were mad at her about yesterday, so I agreed to ask you."

"Oh," he said, not buying that story. "Well, make sure she knows I'm not mad at her."

"I will," she promised. "I'll see you later, at the studio, right?"

"Right," he said, hanging up.

At 4:30, after finally buying all her presents, including the guitar for Spiederman that Jude had told her about, Nic's cell phone rang as she was leaving Tiffany & Co. with Sadie's watch. "Hello?" she answered.

"I'm here," Tra's cool voice came through. "Just meet me outside of luggage claim," he suggested. "Less paparazzi or whatever most likely."

"Alright," she agreed, hanging up and throwing her phone into her purse. She sped to the airport and after throwing her bags into the trunk, the always gorgeous Tra Malcolm appeared in front of her, his dark brown hair hanging perfectly over his dark green eyes. "Hi, there," she smiled, kissing his cheek. "How are you?"

"Same 'ol, same 'ol," he replied, following her out to her car. "I'm so glad you picked me up in your little Matchbox," he joked, loading his bags into her trunk, trying not to smash her bags from Tiffany's, Chanel, and Ralph Lauren. "It's not like I'm going to Australia for a week after this."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I would've brought my brother's Range Rover, but it's covered in car seats, so this was safer."

"It's alright," he assured her. "So, what time is this party tonight?"

She smiled. "Well, it starts at 7:00, but to make our appearance special, I was thinking we'd show up around 7:45, for the shock factor."

"Cool," he nodded. "And does this Spiederman know I'm coming?"

"No one even knows _I'm_ coming," Nic smirked, pulling out of the airport's parking lot. "Thus, the shock factor."

The ride to her apartment, where he'd agreed to stay in the guest room to keep up the lie, wasn't at all awkward like either of them had expected, probably due to the fact that they'd been pretty good friends before they'd dated and talking came easy to them.

"What are you wearing tonight?" she asked him as she helped carry his stuff upstairs to her apartment. She nodded towards Tommy and Jude's door. "And if you ever need them while you're here, Tommy and Jude live there."

"Okay," he nodded, walking inside. "Nice place, Nic." He set his duffel bag on the floor and unzipped the long garment bag he'd brought along. "This," he told her, pulling out a pair of black Armani pants and a dark green Brooks Brothers button-up shirt. "Is it okay?"

"Very much so," she approved. "In fact, it kinda matches my dress," she laughed, opening her hall closet to pull it out. It was one of her signature black Chanel cocktail dresses, but it had a dark green ribbon tied around her tiny waist and a matching ribbon around the top and bottom seams. "We'll look totally domesticated."

Tra smirked at the mention of that. "Yeah, cause that's a word the tabloids would use to describe me," he joked.

"Maybe if the word 'beer' came after it," she teased. "So, any new women on your horizon?"

"I spent Friday night with Kirsten Cass," he admitted.

"Shut up!" Nic cried, throwing a pillow at him. "Does Daniel know?" Kirsten Cass was the baby sister of Danny Cass, another extreme snowboarder and one of Tra's closest friends.

He smiled shamefully. "Oh, he freaked alright. Even though she invited me to her place, _I _was at fault and he hates me now, but whatever. Shaun thinks it's pretty comical and we're thinking about using the concept in the commercial."

As the _it_ boys of snowboarding, Mountain Dew sponsored Tra, Danny, and Shaun and they were always shooting new commercials and promotional bits for the drink. It wasn't completely uncommon for them to hook-up with girls in the places they were shooting, but for Tra to get with Kirsten was definitely risky on his part and Nic couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Danny finding out.

"I'm sure he'll get over it," she finally said, looking at her watch. "Well, I'm gonna go shower in my bathroom, but you can use the guest bath and do what you gotta do to be ready by 7:20, cool?"

Spiederman stood near the stage with Monica, watching as their friends and family walked into the engagement party, greeting all the other guests. He felt a little uncomfortable in such a stuffy setting, but it was the way Monica had grown up: in and out of country clubs, taking tennis lessons, learning how to play the piano. It still kind of amazed him that she and Wally were related because they were such complete opposites, but you don't choose your family.

"Vince, son, how are you doing?" George Robbins, Monica's father, a cardiologist, asked him sternly, shaking Spiederman's hand. "Are you looking forward to the wedding?"

"Yes, sir," Spiederman nodded politely. "Monica and I can't wait."

"It should be lovely," her mother, Elise, put in coolly. "You're lucky to be marrying her, you know."

Spiederman just nodded, as always. It was very clear to him that the Robbins' didn't like him; he wasn't good enough for their debutante daughter. "Yeah, well, Monica's a very special girl, Mrs. Robbins. You've raised her very well."

"We know," George put in, looking at his Rolex. "It's now 7:45 and we haven't seen your parents yet," he said to Spiederman. "Are they not here?"

"Sure they are," Spiederman told them, pointing to the table his parents were sitting at with Wally, Kyle, and Jessica.

"My God, it's their own son's engagement party and instead of greeting guests, they're sitting down," Elise said in shock. "That's quite rude."

"I'll go tell them," Spiederman said quickly, looking for an escape.

Before he could take one step away, Elise gasped. "Who is _that_?"

"Where?" he asked, following her stare to the front door. "Oh."

Nic and Tra stood at the top of the stairs, their arms linked, looking as though they'd just walked out of a fashion magazine. Her dark brown hair was pulled half back and curled to perfection while his hair messily hung over his eyes.

"Do you know them?" George demanded. "I feel as though I've seen them before, but I just can't place where."

"He's Tra Malcolm," Spiederman muttered. "Professional snowboarder. And that's Nic Quincy; she's Jude's sister-in-law and an editor at _The Chronicle_."

"That's right!" Elise cried. "The _New York Times_ said she would be huge with the release of her first book but it never came out and no one knows why."

Spiederman wasn't listening; he still couldn't take his eyes of his ex-girlfriend and her new fiancé. It was obvious to everyone in the room, who all happened to be watching them, that they made a perfect couple. They were rich, gorgeous, and looked incredibly happy together.

"Hello," Nic smiled when she approached the table Jude, Tommy, Sadie, and Kwest were sitting at. "Jude, Tommy, you guys remember Tra, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jude nodded. "It's nice to see you again," she added as Tommy shook his hand.

"And this is Sadie and Kwest Taylor," Nic added. "Sadie is Jude's sister and Kwest works with Tommy at G-Major."

"It's nice to meet you," Tra said politely. "Nic's told me a lot about you guys."

"All good, I hope?" Kwest joked. "Cause I know that sometimes she lies, but we have doctors looking into that."

Jude cleared her throat. "Uhh, Nic, why don't we go get everyone a drink, hmm?"

"So, did you see him when we walked in?" Nic whispered as she and Jude walked away. "I wanted to look, but I didn't want to look like I was looking, so I kept my focus on Jessica and Wally."

"Oh, he saw, trust me," Jude assured her. "And then Monica saw him, turned away, and walked to the bathroom. In fact, I haven't seen her since."

"I didn't mean to do that," Nic admitted. "Well, I meant to freak Spied out, but not to hurt Monica."

"Well, no offense, but hurting Monica comes with the territory of infuriating Spiederman," Jude told her, ordering drinks for their table. Even though she wasn't yet 21, Spiederman had told the bartender to let her drink whatever she wanted, as she was his best friend. "She's a good person, Nic, so just watch yourself, okay?"

"Please," Nic scoffed. "I have zero intentions of running to him, begging him to take me back, alright? While I may not really be engaged to Tra, I do have other options, you know?"

"Like you want them," Jude smirked. "If you just admit you want Spied so bad you can't stand it, an entire weight will just lift off your shoulders."

Nic sighed in defeat. In the two and a half years she'd known Jude, her sister-in-law had come to be able to read her like a book. "I know, but admitting it is the first step in the process of beating it and I don't think I want to."

**"But Nic, there's not really anything you can do about it now," Jude noted. "I mean, we're at his _engagement party_ and the bride isn't you. The end."**

**"I know," Nic whispered, sipping her apple martini, "but I'm a writer, Jude, and do you know what writers do?"**

**"No?" Jude answered nervously.**

**Nic leaned in to Jude's ear. "They change endings."** And with that, she walked away, carrying her drink and Tra's beer.

"That look you have worries me a little," Tommy admitted, coming up behind Jude at the bar. "What's my sister done this time?"

"Oh, nothing," Jude replied sarcastically. "Other than basically state she's going to do her best to keep Spied from marrying Monica."

"She wouldn't," Tommy said. Then, he retracted it. "Actually, she would."

"I know it's what we all want, but to actually hear come from her lips scares me," Jude told him. "I mean, she's a Quincy, meaning she's completely determined."

Tommy watched his sister make her way to the dance floor with a fighting Tra. "That she is," he finally agreed, "but she also knows when to back off and if she sees how much Spiederman loves Monica, she'll give up."

"That's what worries me," Jude admitted. "If she waits to see how much he loves Monica, she might be waiting a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, it's obvious he loves her, but I just don't think he's _in love _with her."

"Cause no matter how much he changes for her, she's never going to wake up as Nic," Tommy nodded. "I know."

Jude sat down on a stool. "Is there anything we can do, though? I mean, talking to either one of them has proved pointless countless times in the last few days and an intervention two weeks before the wedding would be a little cruel."

"I think we should just let nature take it's course," Tommy shrugged. "It's not our fault if their lives are ruined because they're both complete idiots."

"Gee, you're so optimistic," Jude smiled. "Come on, let's go back to the table."

Nic stood near the stage, swirling her martini, surveying the crowd. Most of the people were Monica and Wally's relatives, over the age of 40, and complete yuppies. Doctors, lawyers, and politicians were surrounding Spiederman and Monica, congratulating them on their upcoming nuptials and Nic couldn't help but laugh at how uncomfortable Spiederman looked. He was a rock star in a sea of conservatives; and to her delight and his dismay, he was drowning.

"Wanna make him jealous?" Tra whispered in her ear, sneaking up behind her. "Dance with me."

"_You're_ asking _me_ to dance?" she teased, following him onto the floor as the DJ put on the Bryan Adams classic 'Everything I Do.'

"Hey, first time for everything," he laughed, pulling her in close to him. "So, you wanna tell me what happened with you two?"

"Sure," she muttered, leaning into him. "So, I moved here when Tommy and Jude got married cause I realized that living in Montana wasn't good for me anymore. I met Spied when my brother was hospitalized after being hit by a car and we just clicked. He was nothing like any of the guys I'd ever dated in that his hair was long, his clothes were worn, and he never stopped joking around. And I guess that's why I fell so hard. Anyways, by the time the wedding rolled around, we were an item. And then we were for the next six months and I was completely in love with him; still am. Uhh, one night we were sitting around my apartment and he asked me to move in with him."

"Why didn't you?" Tra asked. "Move in with him, I mean."

Nic smiled sadly. "Cause I was scared. See, when my dad died, I built a chain-link fence around myself; when my mom was institutionalized, that fence became a concrete wall; and finally, when Tommy ran off to do Boyz Attack, I added a high-voltage security system. Everyone that I'd ever been close to abandoned me and I was afraid that if we moved in together, the tension would rise and we'd get bored and hate each other."

"And I guess he didn't take that so well?" Tra assumed.

"Not so much," she confirmed. "So, after he walked out on me, I freaked. Whatever part of that wall he'd started to chip away at completely re-vamped, stronger than ever, and I left. Almost a year and a half later, I met you."

"And you've never been happier," he teased.

"Please," she scoffed. "If you'd have been man enough to make me forget him, I wouldn't even be in this freakin' situation."

Tra smirked and made eye contact with Spiederman across the room. It was obvious that the guitarist wanted Nic, he was just too afraid to admit it.

"Kiss me," he whispered in her ear. "Imagine I'm him, or Andy Roddick, or even Shaun, but do it right now."

"Pushy," she joked, kissing him softly. Even though she was very much in love with Spiederman, she couldn't deny that Tra was a fabulous kisser. When she pulled back, a smile appeared on his face as he looked over her shoulder. "What?"

"If you could see the look on his face, you'd wet yourself," he told her. "And now Monica sees the look on his face."

"Lovely," Nic grinned as the song ended. "Thanks for doing all this, Tra. And I promise to call Kirsten with a very good word of recommendation for you as soon as word gets out to these people that we're not engaged."

Tra led her back to their table and they sat. "Yeah, what are we gonna do about that?"

"I guess I'll just call it off," she shrugged easily. "If you do it and I pursue him, I look desperate, but if I do it, I look like I did it for him."

"Are you gonna chase him?" Tra implored. "Cause if you don't want to look desperate, you wouldn't be doing a very good job, Nic."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," she admitted. "I want him but I don't want to look like I want him. I want him to want me more."

"That's a lot of wanting," he laughed, finishing his beer. "Just don't push him, alright?"

"Sure thing, Daddy," she rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should just let it be a mutual split?" she suggested. "Use the old 'long-distance' excuse that you're all over and I'm based here and it would never work out with our schedules? It works for people all the time."

"One more question," he spoke up. "Are you still scared?"

Nic smiled. "No."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because of you," she answered honestly. "I know that sounds crazy, but being with you made me realize that I was so in love with him that I'd do pretty much anything to make it work if I could, even if that means moving in with him."

He nodded. "And now that you can't?"

"We'll have to see," she sighed, finishing off her martini.

Monica stood over the sink in the well-furnished bathroom, staring at her reflection. Her blonde hair was pulled back and her make-up was flawless. She wore a Jill Stuart pencil skirt and Marc Jacobs blouse. She looked sophisticated and bride-like and yet, her fiancé couldn't keep his eyes off of the cocktail dress-wearing ex-girlfriend.

Speak of the devil and the devil she doth appear.

"Hey," Nic smiled, letting herself into the bathroom. "Congratulations; it's a great party."

"Thank you," Monica nodded politely, wiping her face. "I like your dress."

Nic looked up from her cell phone, not expecting small talk. "Oh, thanks. I've had it forever."

"Did you love him?" Monica asked out of nowhere. "Vince, I mean."

"What?" Nic whispered, shutting her phone and throwing it back into her vintage Chanel clutch. "Does it matter?"

"More than you know," Monica told her solemnly. "Look, I know that he loves me and that we're getting married, but I'm afraid you being here is a little threatening."

"Monica," Nic started sincerely, "I can honestly say that yeah, I did love him once upon a time, but I'm not here to ruin anything. I just came to show I've grown up and that I can be supportive of an old friend."

Monica looked back at her reflection. "I'm not sure I believe that. I mean, I want to, of course I do, but you and Vince had something too deep for you to 'just be here,' I think."

"Believe what you want," Nic shrugged, opening the door before turning back once more. "And can I ask you a quick question before Tra and I leave?" Monica gave her a nod. "Why 'Vince' when everyone else calls him 'Spied?'"

"Because he's an adult, not a child," Monica answered.

"And maybe that's why you're so questionable," Nic stated, leaving the bathroom.

Spiederman sat at the head table, watching Nic leave the restroom, soon followed by Monica. Nic put on her gray wool coat and left hastily with Tra while Monica sat down next to him silently.

"Hey," he said softly, kissing her cheek. "Where have you been?"

"Does it bother you that I don't call you 'Spiederman?'" she wondered aloud. "Would you prefer that?"

He stared at her. "It's up to you, I guess. I mean, when we dated for those two months three years ago, you called me that, but you don't anymore." He paused. "Why not?"

"Because it's young," she responded. "Do you want to be 'Spied' when you're 50-years-old and grown up?"

Kyle, who'd been passing on his way to the bar, stopped in front of their table. "Whoa, grown up? Spied? Never!" And that was all he said before walking on.

"Ridiculous," Monica muttered under her breath.

"Mon, did something happen in the bathroom with Nic?" he asked, rubbing the small of her back. "Did she cross another line?"

Monica stiffened at his touch. "Let's not do this here, alright? It's our engagement party and we're not going to fight."

"Of course we're not," he muttered, pushing back from the table. "I'm gonna go talk to my parents."

Lindsey and Jack Spiederman were the parents every child prayed for. They'd always supported their son, given him advice, and gave their opinions without ever influencing him enough to change his mind.

"That didn't look good," Lindsey noted, nodding up to Monica. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Mom," he sighed, sitting down between his parents. "How can I convince her that Nic being here isn't affecting me?" Lindsey eyed him dryly. "Too much," he added.

Jack looked at his son knowingly. "You loved Nic, we all know that. In fact, _we_ all loved Nic. But, here's the thing, Spied: the minute you put that ring on Monica's finger, you made an unspoken commitment to her."

"But," Lindsey added, "maybe it's good that Nic's back."

"How?" Spiederman whined.

"To challenge you," she responded. "To prove that your love for Monica is strong enough to beat the girl who changed your life."

Spiederman rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Do you think I can do it?"

"What, marry Monica?" Lindsey guessed. "Of course I do."

"No, I meant beat Nic," he half-whispered. "Can I keep her at a distance to keep my life in order?"

Jack looked at his wife and then at his son. "Do you want an honest answer?" When Spiederman nodded, he frowned a little bit. "I don't think you stand a fighting chance."

"That's what I was afraid of," Spiederman muttered. "Did you guys talk to her?"

"No," Lindsey told him. "But she and I made eye contact and it was nice." She patted her only son's back. "Do what you must, Spied, but follow your heart. Promise me that."

"I will," he nodded, standing up. "Time to go feed myself to the sharks," he laughed, going to talk to Monica's parents again.

Nic and Tra got back to her apartment, realized it was only 10:15 and felt stupid for bailing so early.

"We can watch a movie?" she suggested. "I've got hundreds."

Tra yawned and unbuttoned his green shirt, revealing a plain black t-shirt underneath. "I'll bet you don't have _The Great Gatsby_," he smirked. "Good movie, better book."

Nic shook her head, walked to her movie cabinet, and pulled a DVD from the shelf. "You mean _this_ one?" she joked, tossing it to him. "Tra, it's my favorite book of all time, so I obviously own the movie."

"How about we meet here in five minutes?" he said. "That way we can change and whatever."

"Sure," she agreed, walking back to her bedroom. Just as she was unzipping her dress, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered, pulling on a pair of purple plaid pants and an old gray sweatshirt.

"Where'd you go to so fast?" Jude said quietly into her phone. "You're about to miss Wally, Kyle, and Spied attempt to get Liam to eat carbs."

"Dang," Nic joked, sliding into her favorite Ralph Lauren slippers. "Take a picture for me."

Jude laughed. "Where are you though? I saw you go into the bathroom and that was it."

"Uhh, run in with Monica in there, got tired of defending myself, came back home to watch _The Great Gatsby_," Nic explained.

"Wow, sounds like fun," Jude joked. "Anyways, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Working," Nic answered. "Tra's gonna do some radio interviews and whatever and then we'll meet up for lunch to discuss word getting out about our mutual split."

Jude let out a sigh of relief. "Good, so I don't have to lie to everyone anymore after tomorrow?"

"Nope," Nic assured her. "Tra leaves at 5:30 Wednesday morning and he'll go back to his new girlfriend."

"Well, that's good then, huh?" Jude said, laughing at Tommy and Kwest's attempt at dancing. "I mean, then there's no more lies."

"Jude, I have enough lies to fill a book," Nic laughed. "Well, he's out there waiting so I'm gonna go." She hung up and walked back to her living room where Tra was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

"Got tired of waiting," he shrugged. "Who was on the phone?"

"Jude," she replied, sitting down next to him. "Did you already put the movie in?"

He nodded and turned on her TV. "Ready to go."


	8. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, for everyone who's been wanting a long Nic/Spiederman moment, here you go. I think this might be my favorite chapter of them all, with the park scene, but we'll see. Still looking for names, too.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

Nic woke up the next morning, leaning on Tra's shoulder, covered by an old cashmere throw blanket.

"Crap," she muttered, looking at the wall clock. "I have 30 minutes before I'm late." She stood up, stretched, and hurried back to her bedroom to get dressed.

As she walked into her office 25 minutes later, dressed in gray Chanel pants and white Diane von Furstenberg button-up, Nic sipped her coffee and sat down in her winged-back chair, staring off into space. The office was big, with views of the entire city, but it was a building in the back corner that always caught her attention: G-Major.

"Uhh, Miss Quincy, you have a visitor," her young and naive assistant, Natalia, said timidly through the speakerphone. "It's your brother."

"Send him in," Nic yawned, kicking off her shoes underneath her chrome and glass desk.

Tommy pushed her glass doors open and sat down in one of the chairs in front of her. "Hey."

"Hello," she said coolly. "What brings you to the illustrious offices of _The Chronicle_?" she asked, logging onto her desktop.

"A few things," he replied, just as coolly as her. "First, something serious."

"That sounds daunting," Nic mused.

He leaned forward and stared at her intently. "Nic, what happened to your book?"

"I wondered how long I'd last before someone brought that up," she replied.

"It's just that, when you left, you'd finished it and we were all so excited and here we are, two years later, and nothing?" he said. "That's weird."

Nic sighed and leaned back. "One night, one _drunken_ night, I accidentally erased the entire thing," she explained. "It was stupid but now, I'm kinda glad it happened."

"I was hoping you'd say something along those lines," he smirked, now leaning back in his own chair. "See, I've been talking about this with Darius a lot lately and with everything that's happened to Jude, we're thinking she needs a biography."

"You're serious?" she said dryly. "You all want me to write her life story?"

"Actually, we think you writing it is the best option," he reported. "See, we all know Jude's pretty reserved unless she knows you, so it's more likely for the deep stuff to come out if you're digging for it rather than someone else."

"Hmm," was all she said, considering the option. "It's fluff writing, which I kinda hate, but it's promising. I love Jude, it allows me to do nothing while I'm technically working, and it gets my mind off the other crap that's inside it."

Tommy smiled happily. "So you'll do it?"

"I guess," she agreed. "I'll call Jude with details later."

"Nice," he said. "So, how are you?"

"Not now," she warned him. "I've got articles to read and people to fire, alright? I'm totally fine for the time being, Thomas."

He stood up. "Fine. If you need anything, we're at the studio all day and Lex and Sophie are with Maria, so we'll be around." And with that, he left her office.

Jude was sitting in studio A, waiting for Tommy to show up, ready to work on a new song she'd been writing based on the Nic/Spiederman/Monica love triangle called 'Where It All Went Wrong.' She'd only let SME see the music for it so far, not the lyrics, because she knew Spiederman would understand the concept and it was a fight she was trying to hold off on.

"Hey," Tommy said, breezing into the studio a few minutes later. "Sorry I'm late but it took a bit to convince Nic to do your bio."

"She's doing it?" she asked excitedly. "Yay!"

Tommy sat down at the soundboard and played back the rough track of 'Where It All Went Wrong' that they'd worked on the day before. "When do you plan on letting the guys hear this?" he asked over the vocals. "I mean, after today, you're done and all I'll need is their music set to it."

"I know," she muttered, "but it's a sad song. I mean, I'm telling it in the point of view of the girl who got screwed over when the ex-girlfriend came back. I don't think Spied's gonna take it so well."

"You're right," Tommy nodded, "but he's gonna have to hear it sooner or later, girl."

"I know," she sighed as the door to the recording booth slid open and the band walked in. "You guys ready to finally hear the words?"

"Yeah, dude," Spiederman nodded, sitting on back stools with the guys. "Go on."

Jude took a deep breath and nodded to Tommy, who flipped a switch, and she began to pour her heart out into song.

_It's hard to just stand by  
Watching the effect she has on you  
We were so good together  
So I know this can't be true  
And yet I'm left unnoticed  
As it's her face you seek in the crowd  
I guess you'd never know it  
But I wanna scream out loud_

_(Chorus):  
She walked away from you  
And I put you back together  
She said she'd never come back  
That she'd be gone forever  
And now she's standing here  
I guess forever's not that long  
The day that her plane landed  
That's where it all went wrong_

_How come you never showed me  
Who you really are  
Looking on as you leave with her  
Has left a disastrous scar  
I'm not gonna sit back and wonder  
What she's got that I don't  
I'm not gonna call and beg you  
And plead? Trust me, I won't_

_(Chorus)_

_At her beck and call  
She'll break your heart again  
The only difference is  
I won't be there in the end_

_(Chorus 2x)_

As Jude finished singing, Tommy watched in anticipation for the reaction he'd get from Spiederman. Wally and Kyle sat on their stools idly, waiting to hear what their fearless leader would say. Jude refused to turn and face him, afraid he'd lash out.

"Wow," he finally muttered. "So, is that what you guys really think will happen? That I'll choose Nic and leave Monica just hanging?"

"It's just a song, Spied," Jude reminded him nervously. "I make them up as I go."

"Please," he scoffed lightly. "This might be made up, dude, but don't deny it's what you all want to happen. It's practically your wet dream."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Vin, get over yourself, why don't you? I mean, yeah, I'd absolutely rather have you marrying my sister instead of Wally's cousin, but you're not and I've accepted that. So have Jude and the guys. Stop making yourself the victim here."

"Stop talking down to me," Spiederman countered bitterly, standing up. "I'm gonna go," he said hastily, throwing back the door. "Call me when you have a song that's accurate." And with that, he left them all in his dust of fury.

"Hey, I'm gonna go out for a bit," Nic told Tra later that night. "Do you need anything?"

Tra, who was sitting on her couch, occasionally dozing off, shook his head."No, I'm good," he yawned, turning down the volume of _Yo Momma_. "Have fun."

Nic wrapped a scarf around her neck, tightened the belt on her gray wool coat, and left her apartment. It was incredibly cold outside, but it had been a long day and she needed to start thinking about Jude's biography. Every time she'd gotten stuck back when she'd been writing her novel, she'd drive her car to a little park just outside the city, with a single slide and a three-person swing set. It was always empty and she sometimes wondered if anyone else ever even knew it was there. Except for one person.

"What are you doing here?" she asked into the dark night when she found Spiederman sitting on the bottom of the slide, a cigarette in his hand. "That's a bad habit, you know."

"No kidding," he murmured, stamping it out underneath his Converse. "And I'm here because you've only been back for four days and you're already ruining my life." He paused. "Again."

She smirked triumphantly and sat on one of the swings, slowly pushing herself back and forth. "I only do that because you let it happen, Spied."

"No, I don't!" he cried out furiously, his breath escaping from his lips. "God, Nic, you just can't waltz back into town with some celebrity fiancé and pretend like everything is gonna be all Mayberry."

"Why does it bother you _so much_ that I'm engaged?" she asked him pointedly. "In case you've forgotten, _you're_ the one getting married next weekend."

"I know," he nodded, "but I'm _not_ the one skipping around, crashing engagement parties, leaving the bride in a pool of self-consciousness; that, Nicole, is you."

"Can we _not_ play the Blame Game for once?" she asked tiredly, pumping her legs a little harder, causing her to go higher. "I mean, my God, we've spent the last 96 hours straight fighting and bickering and eventually, it's just got to stop."

Spiederman opened his mouth to respond, but then stopped and sighed. "I know," he finally gave in. "We're adults now, aren't we?"

"Ha, speak for yourself," she laughed half-heartedly. "I have zero intentions of 'growing up,' or whatever that is. No, I think I'll stay 16 and a half forever."

"Come on, Nic," he said, sitting down in the swing next to her. "You're getting married; growing up is inevitable."

"No, growing _old_ is inevitable," she corrected. "Everything else is just a state of mind." She leaned over and ran a hand through his ever-messy hair. "Seems to look as though you think so, too, Vincent. Or is it just 'Vince' these days?"

"Funny," he said dryly, pushing her hand away and then pulling it back to examine her ring. "It's nice."

"Thanks," she whispered, looking at it herself. "It reminds me of my mom," she added. _Cause it was hers,_ she said to herself. "Was Monica's ring expensive?"

"No idea," he answered honestly. "My mom literally took my credit card, went to the Valerie Snow shop, and came back with a ring Monica likes."

Nic stared at him in shock. "You really didn't pick it out? You trusted Lindsey enough to do it for you?"

"I guess so," he shrugged. "I'm not exactly Mr. Jewelry, you know."

"You picked this out," she reminded him quietly, pulling the cross necklace she always wore out from underneath her cashmere sweater. "Gave it to me for Christmas."

"I remember," he assured her. "That might be my favorite present I've ever bought."

"It's definitely the favorite I've ever gotten," she smiled. "I don't want to start a fight here, but do you ever wonder what we'd be doing right now if nothing bad had ever happened between us?"

Spiederman looked at her sadly. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I think we'd probably be sitting in my apartment, cause we're too lazy to buy a bigger one, watching old episodes of _Nip/Tuck_, stuffing ourselves with pumpkin pie."

"See, I always think something different," he responded. "I see us at Jude and Tommy's, playing with the kids. All four of them."

"Four kids?" she laughed out loud. "That's a lot, especially for people who never wanted any."

He rolled his eyes. "No, Sophie, Lex, Isabelle, and our one and _only_ kid," he explained. "A boy, preferably. Possibly named something really sweet."

"Cameron," she interrupted. "Cameron Spiederman; that's a name I like."

"Yeah, I like that," he agreed slowly. "Call him 'Cam,' teach him how to play."

"Does Monica want kids?" she asked him. "I mean, no offense, but I see her as the girl who wants 2.5 kids with a golden retriever and white picket fence, you know? Will she be able to adjust when you guys go on world tours?"

Spiederman shrugged. "We don't really talk about it that much. I mean, Darius is working on a big Jude/SME/Mason tour _next_ winter, but it's still in the works. I've told her about it and she got upset, but it's not like I can say no or anything, you know? I mean, it's my job and it's my life." He looked down at his feet, almost too scared to ask his next question. "What happened to you in Paris, Nic?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, before you left, you were set to publish your book and two months into your absence, I read in _The New York Times_ that it wasn't coming out and that the literary world would have to wait a while longer for your genius."

She was quiet. Did she dare tell him the truth, that she'd stupidly erased it one night after trying to drink him away? No. Lying was better. "I didn't like it anymore," she finally answered. "It just wasn't something that interested me anymore and I'm working on something new now."

"Oh, yeah?" he said. "What is it?"

"Jude's biography," she chuckled. "Tommy pitched the idea to me today and I agreed."

"Weird," he reacted. "I mean, no offense, I'm sure it'll be great, but you're not a biographer, Nic; you're a novelist. You write far-off stories you make up in your own imagination."

Again, she was quiet. "Yeah, well, people change, I guess."

"I guess," he repeated. "So, Kwest mentioned going to a karaoke bar tomorrow night. You and Tra going?"

"He's actually going to Australia tomorrow morning," she told him. "To shoot another Mountain Dew commercial with Shaun White and Danny Cass."

"That's cool," he nodded. "Well, you should still come. Rules are that we can't do anything by Jude, SME, or Boyz Attack and everyone has to perform."

Nic smirked. "Sounds like a good idea."

"So, what's this Tra guy got that I didn't?" he asked after a short silence. "I mean, why is it you can settle down with him but you couldn't with me?"

This caught Nic off-guard. She knew the real answer, but in telling him that, she'd have to tell the truth about not being engaged, and that wasn't set to come out until the morning. "I don't know, to be honest, Spied. I guess then I felt like I was still too young and too naive to commit to something so big and so exclusive, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," he nodded knowingly. "Not that I didn't love you, cause I did, but I think we would've regretted it in the end."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks. _We would've regretted it in the end_. It was like hearing she wasn't good enough for him, then or now.

"So, excited about the big wedding?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject. "According to Tommy, who I must say I'm surprised is an usher, it's gonna be huge."

Spiederman scoffed. "Yeah, huge and a pain in my anus."

"Not what you want?" she guessed, swinging slightly again.

"It is," he replied, "but I've got nothing to do with it. At all," he added for emphasis. "Like, her parents are doing _everything_ and they're so uptight and conventional about it all. Like, we're both only children, so they decided I could choose the ushers and she the bridesmaids."

"What's so horrible about that?" she asked as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh, duh, Jude."

"Bingo," he confirmed. "Monica doesn't really have any guys friends, other than Wally and Kyle, so she's fine. I, on the other hand, have a female best friend and she wouldn't even listen to my reasoning about Jude. It's so lame."

"Sounds like it," she agreed quietly. "Well, it's only one day and you can include Jude in all the pre-wedding stuff, you know?"

He laughed. "You'd think, since it's my wedding, but no, her parents dictate all that stuff, too. Rehearsal, and the dinner at their house after, is confined to those in the wedding party and that's it."

"Is this a wedding or a pre-arranged marriage?" she joked. "I haven't even _met_ Tra's parents, let alone allow them in on the details."

"How did he propose?" he wondered aloud. "All I heard was that it was in Switzerland with his friends."

Nic started to panic. She'd never thought about how to answer that question, but, growing up Quincy, she'd learned to lie along the way. "It was really cheesy," she started. "We had been skiing all day at this fabulous resort and it was getting dark and snow was falling," she added. "Shaun and Danny had gotten off the lift in front of us and as soon as we landed, he got down on one knee, pulled out a red, velvet box and popped the question." There, that sounded pretty realistic, if she did say so herself. "What about you? Was your proposal super romantic and old-fashioned?"

"To the book," he grinned. "After my mom gave me the ring, which I still don't really know much about, I planned this big dinner at the loft and asked her over cheesecake and wine."

Nic gagged sarcastically. "And I thought Tra was a sucker; Spied, that's so lame."

"Yeah, but it's totally Monica," he shrugged.

"Kyle was right," she muttered impulsively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

She shrugged. "She's changed you, Spied; massively. I mean, since when do you do things for anyone other than yourself? And I don't mean for that to sound like you're self-centered, but when have you ever let someone else's ideas dictate your own?"

"Since you left," he admitted adding a little sting to his voice. "It became quite clear that my ideas weren't good enough, so they changed."

"I thought we weren't gonna do this anymore?" she interrupted, afraid to hear him reveal anything else. "You know, be adults and move on?"

Spiederman sighed. "Fine."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, her swinging and him just lazily rocking back and forth in his swing.

After a while, her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered, not paying attention to the caller ID, a habit she really needed to break.

"Nic, where are you?" Tommy demanded. "You promised Sophie you'd start teaching her to speak French tonight."

Nic winced. "Oh, yeah," she remembered. "Uhh, ask her if I can take a rain check for Thursday?" she requested. "I know, I suck, but now's not a good time."

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll tell her you're working, but when she hates you in the morning, don't blame me," he warned, hanging up.

"Who was that?" Spiederman asked. "Your brother?"

"Always," she nodded. "My French is much better than his and Sophie wants to learn, so I offered to teach," she explained. "Except, I forgot, so I'm doing it Thursday."

"Princess Memory strikes again," he teased, referring to an old nickname he'd given her back in the day for her lack of memorization skills. "Good to know some things never change."

"I guess," she laughed. "So, how goes work?"

Spiederman tensed up, thinking about Jude's new song. "Not so good," he answered honestly. "Dude wrote a not-so-nice song that I'm not looking forward to recording."

"Why?" she asked with interest. "You've always liked her stuff."

"Yeah, well, her stuff usually doesn't delve into my life," he snapped. "The song is what it would be like from Monica's perspective if I chose to be with you instead of her; that she won't be there to pick me up when you hurt me again."

"Ouch," she murmured. "I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or if I should feel sorry for Monica in this hypothetical reality."

He sighed, watching his breath in the cold air. "It's whatever. Unfortunately, it's a good song, so not doing it would be really stupid on my part."

"At least you're a big enough person to realize that," she whispered.

"I'm a musician and good music to me is like a good book to you," he explained. "It may not share our opinion, or it may insult us, but good is good and you have to go with the flow."

She chuckled. "Well said, Vincent." She looked up at the stars. "Remember the first time we came here?"

"How could I forget?" he asked, thinking back to the night.

_"Nic, if you don't drive faster, I'm gonna pee all over your leather interior," Spiederman said as they drove home from dinner outside the city. _

_"Oh, I'll just pull over," she sighed, turning into the park's small lot. "Here, a park; there's bound to be a bathroom here, or at least a Port-A-Potty." _

_They got out of her Mercedes and walked around, noticing only a swing set and slide. It was quaint and quiet, something they weren't used to from the playgrounds in downtown Toronto._

_"This is cute," she muttered as he went off to find a place to relieve himself. "Dark and secluded, no kids to drive me crazy."_

_"You could write here," Spiederman offered as the two of them plopped down on the ground when he came back. "And I could play. It's a nice place."_

_She leaned on his shoulder and sighed. "I love you."_

_"Is that so?" he joked, playing with her hair. "Well, I guess that's okay cause I love you, too."_

_"I've never said that to a guy before," she admitted quietly, breathing in his Polo for Men scent. _

_"How come?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her to lay back on the grass. "Devoid of all human emotion?"_

_"Funny," she said, poking him in the stomach as she leaned into his embrace. "No, I've just never wanted to. Never meant much to me."_

_"Everything that happened with your parents really tore you up, huh?" he asked protectively. _

_"Yeah," she admitted. "I was losing family members like a socialite loses her shoes. Letting myself get close is scary."_

_He held her tight. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, I promise."_

_"Good," she whispered, closing her eyes._

"We slept here that night," he said. "Cold and rainy, but when we woke up, the sun was shining and birds were chirping."

Nic stifled a laugh. "I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, we spent the night here." She stopped and looked at him. "Have you ever brought Monica here?"

"Nope," he answered honestly. "I know this might sound lame, but I still consider this _our_ place, even if you and I are history."

"History often repeats itself," she muttered under her breath.

"I'm a musician, Nic," he pointed out. "I have bionic hearing." He sighed. "And history only repeats itself when something is left undone."

"Don't you ever wonder if we were left undone?" she asked curiously. "I mean, like we never reached our full potential as a couple?"

Spiederman shrugged. "Sure, I do. But I also wonder what it would be like if Pokemon were real or if there was cheese-flavored soda. It's not realistic, Nic."

"People used to say that space travel was unrealistic, too," she told him. "Do I completely repulse you?"

He stared at her pointedly. "No, but it's over and done, Nic. You and me are over and that's that. I'm getting married in a week and you in a month. Our time passed; _you_ pushed the clock."

"Oh, good, another fight we weren't going to have," she muttered, looking away from him. "Spied, you already admitted it: we would've regretted it in the end."

"But you didn't even try!" he exclaimed, standing up now. "Things got tough and you bailed! You're exactly like your brother except he had the balls to own up to his mistakes!"

"Tommy and I left for totally different reasons!" she yelled, standing to face him. "He left to do the right thing for Sophie and I left because I was scared. Saying he had the balls to come back isn't fair because he didn't leave on his own; he _had_ to! Coming back was easier for him than it was for me!"

"If you believe that, you're the most naive human being I know," he smirked coolly. "Even I know that leaving Jude was incredibly hard for him and he still regrets losing that year with her."

She shook her head slightly. "Do you think I don't regret missing those two years I was gone? Do you think I was _happy_ in Paris? Please! Spied, I was miserable the entire time I was there!"

"What about Tra?" he shot back. "You met your fiancé there!"

"Six months ago!" she screamed. "For 18 months, I had take-out every night for dinner; I watched re-runs of _Nip/Tuck_; I wore flip-flops all the time because you once said I had cute toes! Come on! Don't pretend you were the only one hurting here!"

He threw his head back and laughed harshly. "If you were hurting, it was your fault, Nic! If you hadn't left, we wouldn't be doing this!"

"I quit!" she yelled, backing away from him. "I'm not gonna waste my time fighting a dead war."

Another looming silence played over them as she sat at the top of the slide and he took a seat at the bottom.

"Wanna hear something funny?" he asked, breaking the quietness, as he pulled his Sidekick from his pocket.

"Always," she sighed, sliding down to him. "What is it?"

He pushed a few buttons and a familiar voice played through the speakers.

_"Hey, it's me, and I know this is a really crappy thing to do right now, especially after last night, but I'm gonna take that crazy job offer in Paris. It's, uhh, permanent, so don't expect me to come home anytime soon. For now, I think it's the best thing for us because I'm not ready for what you're looking for and it's not fair to you." _There was a long pause. _"I love you, Spied, and I don't want you to ever doubt that. But, I want you to be happy."_

"Why would you play that to me?" she asked quietly, wiping away a few stray tears. "More importantly, why do you have that saved?"

"Because for the first three months, I planned a dozen trips to Paris, looking to win you back," he explained. "And I used this as a device to keep me from it. You made it very clear that you weren't ready and I just had to accept that."

Nic was silent. "I have every letter you sent me from Jude giving you my address. All four of them," she laughed. "The first two are cute and nice, the second was horrible and sad, and the last was closure. You told me that you were over me and ready to move on and that you hoped I could, as well."

"And we did," he noted. "You and Tra, me and Monica. Funny how things work out, huh?"

"Hilarious," she said dryly. "Like it's funny that your hair doesn't look as though it's been cut since I left," she added jokingly, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair once more. "I'm surprised Monica stands for that."

Before he could answer, a car drove by slowly, and it was as if the trance they'd been in for the last 45 minutes broke. He pulled his keys from his pocket. "I should go."

"Yeah," she muttered, looking to her Mercedes. "Me, too."

They walked to their cars quietly and when they got there, he looked at her once more before opening his door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow night, at karaoke?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Bye, Spied."

"Later," he said, ducking into his Jeep.

"Where were you?" Tra asked when Nic let herself back into the apartment 30 minutes later. "I woke up and you were gone."

She laughed. "I told you I was going out when you were watching _Yo Momma_," she reminded him, taking off her coat. "I guess it wasn't that important."

"Well, did you accomplish whatever you left for?" he asked, sitting up on the couch. "Any writing or anything?"

"No," she answered. "Spied was actually there when I got there and we spent the entire time reminiscing/fighting/talking," she explained. "It was, uhh, awkward, to say the least."

Tra mused a smile. "What did you reminisce/fight/talk about?"

"Our entire past," she replied, sitting down next to him. "About the break-up, our 'proposals,' Monica, having kids, my f-ed up life."

"Your life isn't so f-ed up, Nic," Tra told her. "I mean, you're a millionaire without trying, you have a family who adores you, and a job you actually like. Think about the people who don't have even one of those."

Nic sighed. "How come you always gotta knock me off my high horse?" she joked, leaning on his shoulder. "I know, you're right, but I'm a spoiled princess, Tra; I whine and victimize myself to get attention. Trust me, I know it's bad, but it's a habit; one of many I need to break."

"Oh, don't worry about it," he advised. "While things with this guy may not be going as you planned, good things come to those who wait."

"Blah, blah, blah," Nic muttered. "I just want to go back to Christmas Eve two years ago," she said. "It was the best night of my life."

"Why?" he implored.

"Jude and Tommy had me and Spied, Sadie and Kwest, and the entire G-Major everybody over at their place and we exchanged presents and it was just fun. Jude was still fat with Lex, Darius bought me satellite radio for my car, and Spiederman gave me this necklace," she said, fingering the cross around her neck. "It was just normal, for once in my life."

"God, that sounds so boring!" he cried out jokingly. "Christmas to me is boarding all day, getting drunk, and waking up to presents I probably don't need. Party, party, party."

"You say that now, but in two years, when I'm leading your intervention, will you be saying that then?" she teased. "So, have you packed?"

"I never really unpacked," he answered, standing up. "But, I am gonna go to bed cause my flight leaves at 7:35." He headed to his room before turning back to her once more. "I'll wake you to say good-bye, but I won't make you take me to the airport; I already called a car service."

"You're a decent guy, Tra Malcolm," she laughed, laying down on the couch, covering herself with an old cashmere blanket.


	9. Chapter 6

**This is a shorter chapter, sorry, but I needed to end it where I did to make the next chapter, the karaoke bar, mean more. But I do like the cold interaction between Spiederman and Monica because I think it just showcases again how different they are. Okay, here you do.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

The following morning, Spiederman woke up to an empty bed and loud Norah Jones music coming from Monica's studio. She did freelance art for local magazines and was always drawing and doodling in her spare time. He stumbled out of the bed and walked down the hallway, following the soft piano. "Hey," he yawned, leaning against the doorframe. "You were asleep when I got in last night; are you alright?"

"Fine," she answered coolly, admiring her latest piece. "Where were you?"

"Just out," he lied. "I had a crappy day at the studio and needed to vent."

She turned on her stool to face him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, it's cool," he replied. "Talk isn't necessary."

"Of course not," she mumbled, turning away again so he couldn't hear. "What are you plans for the day?"

"Breakfast, G-Major, karaoke tonight," he told her. "You're still going, right?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I might call April and Lindsey to see if they want to see a movie or something."

"Mon, just go," he pleaded. "We planned this yesterday and you were all in."

"We'll see," she snapped. "Just go to work and I'll call you later."

He nodded, kissed her cheek, and went to change.

"Yo, have you heard?" Kyle asked when he walked into G-Major half an hour later. "The wedding is off."

"What are you talking about?" Spiederman demanded. "Did you talk to Monica? Why is she mad at me?"

Kyle stared at his friend in confusion. "I meant Nic and Tra. What are you ranting about Monica for? Trouble in paradise?"

"Wait, what?" Spiederman said, now rewinding back to what Kyle had said. "What's going on with Nic and Tra?"

Wally came up behind him. "Jude came in this morning and Sadie asked her about it and she said they came to the decision last night that their schedules were too conflicting and that neither could up and leave where they were, so that was it," he reported. "I overhead and spread the news. Tra left for Sydney this morning and Nic is at her office, yelling at staff writers and her underpaid assistant."

"Weird," Spiederman muttered. "So, are you guys going tonight?"

"Definitely," Kyle nodded. "I was thinking we should do a song together."

"Like what?" Wally wondered as they walked to the hospitality room for coffee.

An idea popped into Kyle's head. "The Romantics' 'What I Like About You,'" he suggested. "We know that one like the back of our hands." It was the first song they'd learned as a band.

"I'm in," Spiederman agreed. "Do we have a line-up for who goes when or are we just winging it?"

Kwest entered the room and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I always have a game plan, boys." He pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket. "It's gonna be Jude, Tommy, you guys, Monica, and then Nic."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Wally said. "What about you and Sadie, King Kwest?"

"I planned the whole thing and Sadie said that if I made her sing, I'd be on the couch for a week," he replied. "Plus, I'm the oldest guy going, so what I say goes."

Spiederman rolled his eyes. "Fine. But don't count Monica in just yet. She's mad at me for God knows what and may ditch us for April and Lindsey."

"She's a little boring," Kyle stated.

"If you haven't noticed," Wally added. "Don't worry, I can blackmail her into going."

"Right," Spiederman muttered. "Is Jude here yet? I wanna do this song and get it over with."

Before either Wally or Kyle could answer, a voice came from behind him. "What did you do to my sister?" Tommy demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Spiederman replied, turning to face him. "I didn't do anything."

Tommy just stared at him. "You, me, studio C, now."

"Ooh, monosyllables," Kwest joked in a whisper, pushing Spiederman to follow Tommy to the back of G-Major.

"Uhh, care to fill me in?" Spiederman said timidly, sitting in a chair as far from Tommy as possible.

"You're too easy, kid," Tommy smirked, leaning back in his seat. "I just wanted to fill you in on the Tra thing before the rumors take over; I figure you of all people at least deserve the truth."

The younger boy nodded. "Okay, tell me."

"I'm gonna be honest, which Nic doesn't know about, so don't get mad at her and freak out, alright?" Tommy advised. Spiederman agreed and he continued. "They were never engaged."

"Pardon?" Spiederman said, leaning in. "I don't think I heard you properly."

"Don't be stupid or I won't tell you anything," Tommy warned. "I just told you that Nic would kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but I thought you needed to know just how _not_ over you she really is."

"She's psychotic," Spiederman mumbled, massaging his temples. "Please, proceed."

"She and Tra _were _together for almost six months," Tommy started. "He said he walked into her apartment last Monday, found her crazy drunk, and clutching a magazine with the story about you and Monica on it. So, she _demanded_ the French offices of the magazine release her back here, giving her motive. When she saw you with Monica, she got a little jealous, so she created the Tra story, hoping to strike the same emotion from you, which we all know worked. Well, last Saturday night, Jude called Tra in Paris, asking if he could come over here for a little engagement party and he told her that Nic was lying and they had split up. So, he called Nic to talk to her about it and because he's a decent guy, he agreed to play it up for everyone else to make it believable. Jude and I were the only people who knew the truth, but since it was so important to her, we agreed to go along, as well. Finally, after a two-day charade, he had to go to Australia for a commercial and they decided to formally separate, citing scheduling conflicts. Now, you're the only person who will know the real story, so if I hear anyone else talking about it, you're dead."

Spiederman didn't know what to say. Nic had lied, schemed, and plotted to make it look as though she was over him, which she'd done a good job of. The stories at the park, the kissing at the party, they'd all been elaborate plans to make a fool of him. "She's dead to me," he finally said quietly. "How can I associate with someone who would do that?"

"Do what, pretend to be getting married to not look desperate?" Tommy assumed. "You're doing it, except you're so scared you'll probably even marry Monica and make yourselves miserable for the rest of your lives."

"Man, not now," Spiederman sighed. "Can we just go record Jude's song and work on our new stuff? Darius wants a single by next week and all I have is a first verse and chorus." With that, he stood up and walked back to the lobby.

"Hey, you wanna meet up for lunch?" Nic asked Jude later that afternoon. "I'm hungry, I'm sure you're hungry, and if I don't get out of here soon, Natalia will drive me crazy." Natalia Earls, her young assistant, was always desperate to help and it was often too much.

"Uhh, yeah, I think I can get away," Jude agreed, looking over at Tommy, who was working with Mason. "Mason's just now getting into the studio and the boys are working on solo stuff with Kwest, so I'm free until I gotta pick up Lex and Sophie from Maria's."

Nic shut her work laptop and looked around for Natalia. "Well, I think I have a window to leave right now, so meet me at Daley's in 20," she said, referring to a local restaurant. "I'll tell you all about last night."

"The park story you wouldn't tell me this morning?" Jude asked hopefully. "I'll be there." She shut her cell phone and turned to her husband. "I'm gonna go meet Nic for lunch, pick up the girls, and have dinner ready, cool?"

"Dinner?" he repeated. "That means Pizza Hut or something, right? Not you involved with a stove?"

She punched his shoulder. "Just for that, I'm cooking a big meal."

"I'll fake sick," he joked, leaning over to kiss her softly. "Have fun with my sister."

Jude stood up and put on her coat. "Mason, sounds good; I'll talk to you later." She waved once more and walked out.

"Yo, dude, where's the fire?" Spiederman asked, passing her on a bathroom break from recording.

"Meeting Nic for lunch," she reported. "I'll see you at karaoke tonight."

Nic made her way to the booth Jude had already snagged and sat down with a huff. "Natalia has got to go."

"Now why?" Jude laughed, looking over the menu. "Did she sharpen pencils incorrectly?"

Nic threw a piece of the complimentary bread at her sister-in-law. "Funny. No, she's _insisting_ I read this short story she wrote about an Amish girl going into society and I told her I wouldn't read it until she's worked for me for six months and it's only been four days."

"Don't be a snob, Nic," Jude warned. "It only gets you in trouble." She cleared her throat. "Now, about last night? Anything you want to tell me?"

Nic smirked. "It wasn't that big a deal, Judy. I went to that little park, he was there, and we spent the next 45 minutes going through every form of communication possible."

"Details," Jude requested. "Topics?"

"Life," Nic replied vaguely. She saw the look of disappointment on Jude's face. "Alright, fine, I'll tell you. Let's see, it started out with us deciding we were both going to be adults and get over everything that's happened. Then we talked about what it would be like if we hadn't split, when you all go on tours, my job, his job, and everything in between." She stopped and remembered something else. "Did you know he saved the message I left, telling him I was going to Paris?"

"Yeah," Jude admitted. "Pathetic, huh?"

"Sure," Nic agreed. "Except, I have the letters he sent me in a box with other mementoes from the relationship, along with the diary I filled during my drunken fits in France."

Jude smirked. "I'll bet those are good. Anyways, moving on, I assume you're going tonight? Do you know what you're singing?"

"Yes," Nic answered. "And no, I will not tell you what it is. What about you?"

"Umm, it's this song by the Veronicas called 'Speechless.' It's kinda cheesy, but the guitar is good and it's relatively accurate about Tommy."

Nic rolled her eyes. "Nauseating. And I'm sure Monica will sing something Vanessa Carlton-y for Spiederman and Kyle something for Wally."

"Ick, Vanessa Carlton," Jude shuddered. "Repulsive."

"No kidding," Nic agreed. "So, how goes plans on the wedding? Do you know what the bridesmaid dresses look like?"

"They're teal and spaghetti strapped," Jude reported.

"Teal?" Nic gagged. "God, next thing I know, you'll be telling me that their song is something Olivia Newton-John."

"Uhh, 'I Honestly Love You,'" Jude laughed. "What's so wrong with that?"

Nic smirked. "Both are signs of marital suicide. Monica's practically sabotaging her own marriage. Haven't you ever seen _The Wedding Planner_, Jude?"

"Not exactly a big J.Lo fan," Jude replied, sipping the iced tea their waitress had brought her. "If you and Spiederman had gotten married, how would you have planned your wedding?"

"What season?" Nic asked. "That's a big factor."

"If it was you marrying him next week," Jude said. "Winter."

"The old Wellington Estate," Nic answered, referring to a rustic home used for events outside the city. "I'd come up in a horse-drawn carriage, in vintage Valentino, and he and the boys would be waiting at the altar for us. You, Sadie, and Portia, plus my friend, Kiley from Montana, and probably Jessica, would be wearing tea-length strapless dresses in navy blue, with your hair pulled half back and curled. Mine would be the same, but with a tiara and veil on top. While the ceremony would be relatively old-fashioned, the reception would be full-on partying until around 4 AM."

Jude sat back, obviously impressed. "You think about this a lot, huh?"

"I guess," Nic admitted. "I know it's lame and totally stupid, but it's just something I can't really help."

"Oh, my God, Nicole Quincy?" a haughty British accent asked from the booth behind them. "I haven't seen you since graduation."

"Oh, no," Nic muttered, afraid to turn around. "It's Olivia."

Jude smiled up at the auburn haired girl who was now standing over their table. "Hi, I'm Jude Harrison-Quincy."

"Olivia Bennington," she replied. "Nicole and I were roommates at Princeton for four years."

"Worst four years of my life," Nic muttered harshly. "So, Olivia," she spoke up, turning her attention back to the English girl, "what are you doing in Toronto?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," Olivia replied. "My sister is living here with her husband, who's French, and I'm visiting for Christmas. Now, what about you? You're from Montana."

Nic shook her head. "No, I _lived_ in Montana, Olivia. I was born here and I lived here for about six months a couple of years ago. After a two-year stint in Paris, I'm back."

"That's lovely," Olivia nodded. "Well, I must go do some shopping but we really should get together while I'm in town," she added, waving once more before leaving the restaurant.

Once she was gone, Jude started laughing. "Wow, she seems fun."

"She's about as fun as a room full of nuns," Nic confirmed. "Her dad is some big guy in Parliament and her mom is a society hostess, so she always thought she was better than me, but I'm worth three times as much as she is."

"Snob," Jude teased. "No, actually, that girl seemed horrible."

"Try living with her for four years," Nic replied dryly. "She was always so clean and proper and prissy and boring! She had one boyfriend for four years, Jude! One guy, four years! In college!"

Jude rolled her eyes. "Oh, how crazy. I've had four boys in my entire life, I'm not even 21, and I'm married with two kids, Nic. What do you say about me behind my back?"

"Whatever I plan to say to your face later," Nic joked. "Seriously, she's, as she would say, wretched, Jude. It's like living with Martha Stewart."

"And as a messy Quincy, I'm sure that was a life-changing experience for you," Jude said as their waitress placed their food in front of them.

"It had no effect," Nic laughed. "I still have a maid come in twice a week to do laundry and cleaning, my car is still a second closet, and I still have cupboards of old bills and cell phone accounts. Lydia and Allen really hated that I didn't shred that kind of stuff."

"It's dangerous," Jude noted. "Tommy does all the paperwork though."

Nic smirked. "Now _that's_ dangerous, putting Tommy in charge of the responsibility."

The rest of lunch was spent talking and joking, catching up on old times.

Once Jude got back to the studio, she found the boys of SME sitting around the lobby, avoiding Darius, who would yell at them for slacking off.

"Guys, really?" she laughed, sitting down on the couch between Spiederman and Wally. "Oh, so, I went out to lunch with Nic and apparently, her college roommate is in town for Christmas."

"Olivia?" Spiederman mocked in a phony British accent. "According to Nic, she's a real gem."

"Oh, she is," Jude said sarcastically. "She was wearing a black skirt, a white cashmere cardigan, and pearls, for crying out loud! And not long pearls that Nic wears for an edge, but vintage, 50's-style pearls. It was like looking at a 24-year-old June Cleaver."

"Nice," Wally smiled. "So, I talked Monica into coming tonight," he reported. "I managed to convince her that everyone should hear her secret musical talent."

"Does she have secret, musical talent?" Kyle asked, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "I mean, I know she's a great artist, but when you're so good at one thing, it's to hide your lack of skill in something else." He pointed to Spiederman. "Like, Spied, for example. While he may be incredibly gifted on the guitar, he's horrible at the drums."

"Thanks, buddy," Spiederman said. "So, you guys pumped about tonight?"

"Watered-down karaoke?" Jude said. "Definitely."

"Hey, guys, what are you doing out here?" Darius boomed from the door of his office. "Get into studio B, now!"

And with that, the four of them jumped up and raced away.


	10. Chapter 7

**So, this is the karaoke chapter. I liked writing it so I hope everyone likes reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Instant Star_, or 'You Were Meant for Me' by Jewel or 'Just Friends' by Gavin DeGraw, even though I took personal liberties and changed a few words.**

Later that night, Nic stared at her reflection in her floor-length, department store-style mirror, admiring her outfit choice. She wore ripped jeans, a royal blue thermal shirt, and her black Ugg boots. Her long brown hair was curled to perfection and her make-up was flawless. She finished her look off by a quick spray of her Chanel No. 5 and put on her white bomber jacket. Tommy and Jude had offered to let her ride with them, giving her initiative to get drunk at the bar, as she wouldn't have to drive home.

"Hey," Jude said, sticking her head into Nic's apartment a minute later. "We gotta go. God, Lex was so excited about spending the night at Maria's that she packed every movie she could get her hands on, including _Pretty Woman _and _Wedding Crashers_ cause they were under the coffee table."

"Funny kid," Nic laughed, locking her apartment door. She turned to Jude and Tommy, who were dressed in their own variations of casual, even though Tommy's included his ever-present leather jacket and Puma tennis shoes, while Jude wore her infamous star ring and black Converse. "You guys are so predictable."

"Thanks?" Tommy replied unsurely, leading them to the elevator. "What about you? That's just a plain thermal to the eye, but I guarantee it's designer." He leaned over to look at the tag. _Marc Jacobs. _"Ha, see?"

Nic shrugged. "Whatever. At least it's not something I wear everyday."

"I like what I like," he replied as the doors opened and revealed them to the garage. He unlocked his Range Rover and opened Jude's door.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Nic cooed sarcastically, climbing into the back. "You open her doors like she can't reach them."

"Nic, shut up," he warned, starting the SUV once he'd gotten in. "So, Jude said Olivia Bennington is in town?"

His sister sighed and leaned back against her seat. "Yeah, hooray. We haven't spoken since graduation and I'd planned to keep it that way. Unfortunately, my plans always seem to fall through."

"Oh, she can't be that bad," he said. "I mean, we grew up with butt-kissers and pristine debutantes. What's so awful about this one?"

"If she was just another girl I'd had to deal with on one or two occasions, I'd be fine with her," she admitted, "but living with her for four years put me over the edge. She's psychotic, I swear."

Jude laughed. "I must admit, she wasn't all there in the head. She's living in the past, complete with her pearls."

Tommy shuddered. "Ugh."

"Exactly!" Nic cried. "And Jude's only just met her!"

The ride to the bar was pretty quiet, except for Jude singing along to whatever came onto the radio. Once they got to The Blue Note, they found Sadie, Kwest, the band, Jessica, and Monica waiting outside.

"No Mason, Portia, Patsy, or Jamie?" Nic asked, avoiding looking at Spiederman. "Bummer."

"Cowpoke's out with his family, Jamie and Patsy are doing some late-night recording, and Portia and Darius' mother is in town and they're entertaining her," Kyle explained. "So it's just us."

"Oh, Nicole!" a familiar voice sang out behind her. "Funny running into you twice in one day."

"Crap," Nic muttered, turning to see Olivia with a woman and man that Nic assumed were Olivia's sister and brother-in-law. "Olivia, hi." She looked to the bar. "I didn't fancy you much for a karaoke kind of girl."

"And I didn't _fancy_ to see you show up with your brother and sister-in-law," Olivia shot back, meaning it with cruelty, but sounding positively pleasant. "You, who had a different boy in the dorm every night. Are you losing your touch, Casanova?"

Nic looked down at her feet nervously because admitting to Olivia that she was right hurt her stomach. Just as she was about to answer, Kyle stepped forward.

"No, no, she and I have been together for almost eight months now," he explained, placing his hand on the small of Nic's back. "My, uhh, bike was in the shop and I just picked it up and since she lives in their building, it was more convenient for her to ride with them than for me to go pick her up."

Everyone was silent. Of the boys in SME, Kyle had been the one to show the most signs of maturity, but stepping up, helping out a friend, albeit his best friend's ex, was far beyond his years.

"You're famous," Olivia remarked to Kyle.

"So you _do_ read magazines other than _Oprah _and _Martha Stewart Living_?" Nic said dryly. "Good to know."

"Don't be so snobby, Nicole," Olivia retorted coolly. "Will you being performing tonight? I certainly hope not because I used to hear you sing in the shower and it wasn't very pretty."

"Uhh, let's just go in?" Tommy suggested, opening the door for everyone. "This is going to be an interesting night," he whispered to Jude as their group settled into one of the bar's big and open booths near the stage. "So, Kwest, who's up first?"

"Jude," Kwest answered. "And don't worry, you all are the only people going tonight; I know the owner."

"Of course you do," Jude joked, making her way towards the stage.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, tonight, we've closed the open mic in order to allow for a special group of people to perform for you," Joe, the DJ, said to the crowd. "First up, we've got Miss Jude Harrison-Quincy!"

Jude sat down on the lone stool, picked up the provided acoustic, and tuned it while smiling at the crowd. "Hey, guys. So, when we all agreed to come tonight, the rule was that we couldn't do any of our own stuff, so I'm gonna do a song by the Veronica's called 'Speechless.' I guess I lamely dedicate it to my husband, Tommy."

"Boo!" Kyle and Wally yelled up simultaneously, receiving laughter from the crowd. "Loser!" Wally added.

Nic listened as Jude sang about falling in love with Tommy, even though she hadn't planned it and he left her breathless or something. It was cheesy, as Jude had told her at lunch, but it was cute. She spied Olivia staring at her intently from across the room, so she leaned into Kyle, who was on her right. To her left, Spiederman and Monica were sitting next to each other, but with a noticeable amount of distance between them.

"Jude Harrison-Quincy, ladies and gentlemen!" Joe called out as she finished and returned to her seat next to Tommy. "And now, her husband, Tom Quincy, of Boyz Attack fame, will take the stage, probably to sing for his wife."

"Predictable," Sadie teased as Tommy sat down on the stool.

"So, yeah, this song is called 'Collide,' and it's by Howie Day," Tommy explained, picking up the guitar. "Umm, I'm not really dedicating it to her, but it's basically how I was feeling when I left her all that time ago for Montana." And with that, he broke into the song.

The Spiederman boys went on next, not only performing for the crowd, but also entertaining them, getting into the song and going all over the place. But it was Monica's act everyone was waiting for.

She timidly sat at the piano that hadn't been used up until now, her back to the audience. She spoke softly into the microphone. "This song is called 'Just Friends,' by Gavin DeGraw, but I took some personal liberties and changed some of the lyrics."

_I saw you there last night  
Standing in the park  
You were acting so in love  
With her hand upon your heart_

_But you were just friends  
At least that's what you'd say  
Now I know better from her fingers in your hair  
I'll forgive you for what you've done  
If you say that I'm the one_

And then, with a last crashing crescendo, she stood up, left the stage, retrieved her jacket from the couch she'd been sitting on, and left the bar, giving both Spiederman and Nic one last scathing look before leaving altogether.

"Awkward," Jessica said randomly, breaking the silence over everyone around her. "Well, Nic, dear, your turn."

"Good luck," Kyle whispered in her ear. "Break a leg."

"Or both," Wally offered, trying to lighten the situation.

"Right," Nic said nervously, walking up to the stage to sit on the stool. She picked up the guitar and took a deep breath. "So, this is Jewel's 'You Were Meant For Me,' and it's gonna be pretty self-explanatory. Oh, and I changed a line from 'momma' to 'brother' for personal reasons." She cleared her throat and started the song.

_I hear the clock, it's six a.m.  
I feel so far from where I've been  
I got my eggs, I got my pancakes too  
I got my maple syrup, everything but you.  
I break the yolks, make a smiley face  
I kinda like it in my brand new place  
I wipe the spots off the mirror  
Don't leave the keys in the door  
Never put wet towels on the floor anymore cause_

_Dreams last for so long  
even after you're gone  
I know you love me  
And soon you will see  
You were meant for me  
And I was meant for you._

_I called my brother, he was out for a walk  
Consoled a cup of coffee but it didn't wanna talk  
So I picked up a paper, it was more bad news  
More hearts being broken or people being used  
Put on my coat in the pouring rain  
I saw a movie it just wasn't the same  
'Cause it was happy and I was sad  
It made me miss you oh so bad 'cause_

_Dreams last for so long  
Even after you're gone  
I know you love me  
And soon you will see  
You were meant for me  
And I was meant for you._

_I go about my business, I'm doin fine  
Besides what would I say if I had you on the line  
Same old story, not much to say  
Hearts are broken, everyday._

_I brush my teeth and put the cap back on  
I know you hate it when I leave the light on  
I pick a book up. Turn the sheets down.  
Take a deep breath and a good look around  
Put on my pjs and hop into bed  
I'm half alive but I feel mostly dead  
I try and tell myself it'll be all right  
I just shouldn't think anymore tonight 'cause_

_Dreams last for so long  
Even after you're gone  
I know you love me  
And soon I know you will see  
You were meant for me  
And I was meant for you  
Yeah... You were meant for me and I was meant for you._

"Uh-oh," Jude muttered, noticing the look of rage on Spiederman's face. "He doesn't look too happy."

"Would you?" Wally put in. "If you just heard your fiancé admit to knowing there's still something between you and your ex, and then for you ex to sing _that_ song?"

"Probably not," Tommy admitted, watching in anticipation as Nic returned to her seat, only to have Spiederman get in her face. "And here it comes."

"Where in God's name do you even _think_ you have the right to sing that song?" he yelled, causing everyone else in their group to shield them from the crowd and the paparazzi that had shown up. "After knowing Monica saw us last night? Are you completely stupid? Do you honestly believe that I still love you? You're delirious."

Nic, with tears in her eyes, pushed past everyone and ran out into the cold night, just as snow was beginning to fall.

"There you go, running away again!" he yelled, chasing after her, along with everyone else. "It's the only thing you're good at; well, that and being a super bitch!"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Just shut up! God, freakin' sue me for putting it all out there, for having a backbone! You think it's been easy for me to sit back and watch some society princess, a type I've fought my entire life, ruin you, Spied? Talk about delirious! Maybe, for once, instead of only looking at what's affecting you, you should take a good look at everything else!"

He just stared at her in disbelief. "_Me_ look at how_ my_ decisions affect everyone else, Nic? Please! What about you, huh?! What about up and leaving to run off to Paris, not thinking about me, or Sophie, or your brother and Jude? Don't tell me _I'm_ self-absorbed until you look in the mirror."

Instead of responding, Nic slapped him. "Don't you dare tell me I'm self-absorbed, Vincent. You don't even know me!"

"Yes, I do!" he yelled. "I know that you lie when you get into sticky situations so other people don't get hurt! I know you paint your nails to match your mood! I know that you say _Nip/Tuck_ is your favorite show, but it's actually _Laguna Beach_! Don't tell me I don't know you!"

"Oh, you know the small stuff!" she exclaimed. "Do you know that I was in therapy for three years when my mom was put in? Or that I went through a depression stage when Tommy left for Boyz Attack?"

"You were depressed?" Tommy asked quietly. "Why didn't I know that?"

Nic sighed out of irritation. "Don't worry about it now, Tommy; it's in the past."

"And you know what?" Spiederman cut in. "You're right, I don't know you at all. How could I when you were always a little bit guarded? I don't even know you're real last name, for crying out loud!"

"Neither do I," Jude interrupted. "I'm married to a Quincy and all I know is that it's French."

"Dutois," Nic reported. "Our last name is Dutois. My dad changed it when he moved here from Nice to hide from his parents, who disapproved of his relationship with a flaky heiress."

"Oh," Jude nodded. "Alright, then."

"Look, it's getting late, so maybe we should all just leave?" Kyle timidly suggested. "Before anyone gets shot or anything?"

"Oh, you're leaving?" Olivia asked, walking outside with her sister and brother-in-law. "That's a shame; and Nicole, you have a lovely voice."

"Thanks," Nic muttered, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "And yes, we're leaving." She looked at Spiederman coldly before turning to Kyle. "You wanna ride me home?"

Kyle nodded. "Sure." He nodded to everyone else before leading her away to his motorcycle, which he'd bought from Tommy the previous year. "See you guys later."

As they rode off, and Olivia departed with her group, Spiederman watched Kyle and Nic in anger. "He's dead to me," he finally said coldly. "A guy who would do that is no friend of mine."

"Dude, give it up," Wally said. "You could've had Nic back in a heartbeat and you still keep choosing Monica, who, after tonight, is obviously pretty mad at you."

"Not now, Wally!" Spiederman yelled. "How could he choose her over me? I'm his best friend!"

"And Kyle's one of the last guys on the planet with chivalry still pumping through his veins," Jude put in. "Nic was down and he helped her out; don't look at this as him picking her over you. And besides, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't exploded on her so cruelly. That was a little harsh, Vin."

Spiederman rolled his eyes and started for his Jeep. "Don't push it, dude. I'm going home."

"He's gonna regret this all later," Jessica pointed out, looking at her watch and then to Wally. "Are you ready to go? I've got a class in the morning."

"Yeah," he nodded, waving to the group as Jessica led him away to her BMW.

"You're a good guy," Nic said quietly to Kyle as he pulled up to her building after their quiet ride home. "Don't let anyone, especially Vincent, ever tell you otherwise."

"I try not to," he smiled, turning off the engine. "And Nic, just so you know, I didn't do that for any romantic reasons. I did it because I consider you to be a really good friend and you were in a bind and I hate seeing girls in between a rock and a hard place. I know that you still love Spied and I would never get in the way of your imminent reunion."

Nic nodded knowingly. "I get it, Kyle. And for that, I love you. As a friend. But, after tonight, if he and I ever speak again, I'd consider that apocalyptic."

"Well, it'll happen," he assured her, putting his helmet back on. "I know these kinds of things." And with that, he nodded once more and sped off into the night.

"Hey," Tommy said as he and Jude approached her from the garage. "You okay?"

"Peachy," Nic answered dryly. "Tonight was icing on the cake to my return."

Jude patted her sister-in-law's back. "It'll get better, Nic."

"Better?" Nic repeated. "Not to be cruel, Jude, but I have a week and three days for it to 'get better,' as you say."

"I know that, but I didn't mean things with you and Spiederman," Jude explained. "I meant things in general. Your job is significant, you have two nieces who adore you, and friends and family who love you. Don't let Vin get you down."

Nic sighed and started off in front of them. "Too late."

"How can we leave for L.A. when she's like this, Spiederman's being an idiot, and they have to share Sophie for the next four days?" Tommy asked once he and his wife were in their penthouse. "I mean, it's like putting a child in the crossfire of feuding, divorced parents, and the funny thing is, they're not her parents! Are we crazy?"

"For what? Going away to let our youngest child be in a commercial?" Jude asked, changing into a pair of cotton shorts and long-sleeved t-shirt. "Yes."

He smirked. "No, for trying to get them back together? Should we just let it go?"

"Unfortunately, yeah, I think so," she agreed, laying down on her side as he finished changing. "I mean, they're both too stubborn and hard-headed to listen to anyone, so if something's gonna happen, it's gotta be on their own time."


	11. Chapter 8

**I realize this is sort of a filler chapter, but there's good Nic/Spiederman interaction at G-Major. The coming chapters are very drama-packed and have a lot of Sophie for you all fans of her out there. Again, reviewers, I love you. Oh, and the auditions were all pre-Karma, so she will not be in this series ever, but I am working on another story that she's in.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

Spiederman woke up on his couch early the following morning, as Monica had been in bed when he'd gotten home and he hadn't wanted to wake her, to someone pounding on his front door.

"I'm coming!" he yelled, throwing off his cover as he stumbled to unlock it.

"Vin!" Sophie squealed, jumping into his arms. "We get to spend the whole weekend together!"

He yawned and took his suitcase from Tommy as Jude struggled to contain Lex, who wanted to get down very badly. "Me and Monica are really excited, Soph."

"Oh yeah, Monica," she muttered, climbing down to go watch Disney. "Hooray."

"She's a real gem in the mornings," Jude noted. "Lex, if you don't stop wiggling, we're not going to Disneyland."

"Alright," Lex whined, laying her head on Jude's shoulder. "Are we leaving yet?"

Jude sat Lex down on Spiederman's counter and walked over to Sophie. "Soph, we're gonna go, alright?"

"Okay, Mommy," Sophie nodded, hugging and kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"What about me?" Tommy joked, holding out his arms to allow his oldest daughter to jump into them. "You're gonna be good for everyone, right? If not, no advanced class with Sadie." Even though Sadie was her aunt and only taught part-time for a local dance studio, her advanced ballet class was tough and you had to audition to get in, family or not. He kissed her forehead. "If I get one phone call from Spiederman or Nic saying you're misbehaving, that's it."

"Geez, man, you're leaving for four days and instead of being all nice and fatherly, you're laying the smackdown," Spiederman joked.

Tommy rolled his eyes and kissed Sophie once more. "Alright, I love you, Soph."

"I love you, too," she said, waving happily before jumping back on the couch. "Bye, Lex!"

"Bye!" Lex screamed. "Let's go!"

Tommy, Jude, and Lex left the loft, leaving Spiederman to stare at the stairs with sadness. He knew Monica was somewhere up there, either in their room or in her studio. He knew they'd eventually have to discuss the previous night, but it was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to. He knew he was in trouble.

"Soph, I gotta get a shower and then change, but after that, I'll drop you at school and then later, when I pick you up, we'll do something fun, cool?" he asked, rubbing a hand through her curly dark hair.

"Cool, Vin," she agreed, not taking her eyes off of the _Kim Possible_ re-run on the big screen. "Will you hurry up though? My best friend, Lizzie, is bringing her new Bratz doll for show and tell today and I want the newest one, so I have to see which one she has."

"Yeah, that's important," he teased, going into one of the two guest bathrooms. "Eat some breakfast! There's doughnuts in the pantry!"

After a short shower, Spiederman quietly tip-toed up to his closet, which could be entered into from the hallway, and picked out an old pair of jeans and a vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt.

"Where did you sleep last night?" Monica yawned, turning on the light, nearly giving him a heart attack. "Couch or one of the spares?"

He turned to see her with her blonde hair in a messy bun, wearing her white silk robe and matching slippers, holding a cup of coffee. "Uhh, the couch. Sophie's here, if you didn't see her yet."

"I did," she told him coolly. "Are you taking her to school or should I drop her on my way to my parents' house?"

"I'm taking her on my way to G-Major," he confirmed. "Do you wanna meet up for lunch this afternoon?"

"Did you not hear me?" she asked. "I'm going to my parents' house today, Vince. I'll be there until Sunday night, remember? God, do you ever listen?" She spun on her heel and walked back into their bedroom.

"Mon, I forgot!" he cried, following her. "You're going to Barrie to stay with your parents until Sunday because your sisters and cousin are coming in from Quebec," he recited. "I'm sorry, Mon, but you know me. Memory is not my strong suit."

She sighed and turned to face him. "You're right, it's not. But, it is mine, so don't think we'll put off talking about last night forever. I'm just giving you a few days to prepare a well-thought apology."

"Apology?" he repeated. "I'm sorry you wigged out and performed that song, insinuating something we both know isn't true."

"Please!" she cried. "Is that we both know it isn't true or that, subconsciously, we both know it is?" She was now throwing her clothes into her vintage Kate Spade suitcases. "No matter how happy you may be with me, you will never get over Nic Quincy! She's the universal girl for you, whether you claim to believe it or not!"

He shook his head and put on a pair of old Nike Air Max 90's. "I'm not going to fight right now, not with Sophie downstairs. We'll just discuss this when you get home on Sunday." With that, he put on a zip-up hoodie and walked back downstairs to take Sophie to school.

Nic decided that spending the day in her office, surrounded by New England-bred yuppies wasn't something she wanted to do, so after putting in three hours, she left and headed over to G-Major. She knew her brother and Jude were on their way to California, but Sadie and Portia would be there, and she loved to bug Darius, so she had ways to entertain herself without running into Spiederman.

"Hey, girly," Portia smiled when Nic let herself into her ex-sister-in-law's office 45 minutes later. "Not working today?"

"Didn't feel like it," Nic shrugged, looking through the various racks of clothes spread throughout the room. "Doing anything fun today?"

"Sorry," Portia apologized, typing furiously at her computer. "I'm sending out 40 e-mails today about the wedding next weekend, so if you're looking for fun, try my brother. I think he's checking out new talent in studio B today."

Nic left her purse and jacket with Portia before setting out to find Darius, only to stumble upon Spiederman picking a fight with Kyle about the previous night.

"Dude, what _was_ that?" Spiederman asked incredulously. "I mean, you know how things are between me and Nic, she sang that stupid song, and then you go and play White Knight to rescue her? Whose side are you on?"

"I'm not on any side!" Kyle cried. "I was just being nice, God forbid! Christ, Spied, I don't revolve my entire life around you, you know? I mean, it's not like we all always consult each other on everything anyways."

"He has a point," Wally put in. "You started dating Monica pretty soon after Nic left, even though we were against it, but you didn't listen. We're different people, man; that's why we mesh so well."

Spiederman rolled his eyes. "Stay out of this, Wally. What Kyle did was completely against the Band Code and he knows it."

"God, are you still going by this fictional Band Code?" Nic asked, coming out from around the corner. "Grow up, Vincent, and realize that just because your name is in the band's name doesn't mean you own the world. We aren't just pawns for you to play with. You're practically ostracizing Kyle for still having some decency left in him when it's quite obvious that notion left you long ago."

"Don't you even talk to me," Spiederman warned. "After last night, the fact that you think you even have the right to anymore is almost comical."

Suddenly, the door to studio B flew open and Darius emerged. "Guys, Nic, get in here. Liam and I are short of Tommy and Jude today, so we're gonna need some help."

"Alright," Nic agreed, leading the band into the room. She sat on Darius' left, allowing only Kyle to sit on her right. "How many are we seeing?"

"Five," Liam answered. "Four are probably not even good enough to sing for money on street corners, but we may see that rare talent that appears every so often."

"Alright, Jamie, send the first girl in," Darius called out.

"Whatever happened to _Instant Star_?" Nic asked into the music mogul's ear. "You know, letting Canada vote instead of doing it this way?"

Darius sighed. "The network gave us a shortened run this season, cause people still love Jude and Mason so much they're not really excited for it, so we have to cut it down to ten before we can begin rolling."

"Ahh," Nic nodded knowingly as a cute girl walked into the recording booth.

"Hi, I'm Ally Reese," she introduced herself, picking up her old acoustic. "So, it was requested that we not do anything original until the show, so I'm gonna do a cover of Jewel's song 'You Were Meant For Me' if that's cool?"

"Go on," Liam told her.

"Awkward?" Kyle whispered to Nic. "Or coincidental?"

Nic could feel Spiederman staring at her from Liam's left. "It'll only be awkward if he lets it be. I'm perfectly fine."

"Sure," he muttered, leaning back in his chair to listen to Ally sing.

"She was good," Wally said once Ally had finished. "A little sharp on some notes, but with the right coaching, she could work that out."

"Yeah," Darius agreed. "Mark that down, Liam."

Liam did as he was told as Jamie allowed for the next performer, a young guy, to enter the booth.

"Yeah, I'm Shayne Bentley," he said, sitting down with his guitar. "Uhh, nothing original, so this is 'If You Leave,' the Nada Surf version."

"He made the first girl look like Jude," Spiederman sneered once Shayne had finished. "And we heard how un-Jude she really was."

"Harsh much, Spied?" Nic asked. "It's not like you came out of the womb playing."

"Might as well have," he smirked.

"Before a fight breaks out between Bonnie and Clyde here, why don't you two just go?" Darius suggested. "I don't want to enlarge my headache, listening to you children squabble the whole time. Kyle and Wally, you stay; Beavis and Butthead, go play elsewhere."

Nic stood up in a huff and stormed out of the studio, barely allowing enough time for Spiederman to follow her out.

"Are you out of your mind?!" he yelled, causing the receptionist and all the interns who were doing Liam's dirty work to stare. "You rant and rave and whine and do all this crap to get attention and newsflash, Nic: you're not five anymore! We don't spend all our time thinking about ways to make you happy, okay? That's not me anymore!"

"How come every time we get into a fight, which is a lot lately, you always somehow bring it back that the fact that you're over me?" she screamed back. "If you're _so_ over me, Spiederman, stop bringing it up!"

"Seriously, you two could stall a war with that fighting," Sadie smirked, walking out of Kwest's office. "I mean, you make lunch with Hitler and Stalin look inviting."

"Not now, Sadie!" they yelled simultaneously, circling each other as if preparing to box.

Kwest, who'd heard all the fighting through the walls, came out and stood next to his wife. "They desperately need therapy."

"They desperately need to live in separate time zones," Sadie corrected, swinging Isabelle around slowly. "Maybe it would just be better if she went back to Paris, or even to Montana?"

"She hated Montana," Kwest reminded her, taking his daughter into his arms. "And Paris? Please, they hate her there. She fits in best at her offices here and even though they're fighting a lot now, it's better than her never being around."

"I know," Sadie sighed. "I guess I just wish that she'd never left in the first place."

"I'm pretty sure we all do," Kwest agreed, leading his family down the hallway to hospitality for an early lunch.

Nic sat on the couch in the lobby, flipping through Portia's newest issue of _Lucky_ while seething at Spiederman over the top of the magazine. He was standing at the receptionist's desk, talking quietly on the phone to Monica, trying to prove that he couldn't wait for her to come home so they could finally get married.

"Can you believe he's actually getting married?" Jamie asked, sitting down next to her. "Funny, isn't it?"

"Hilarious," she answered dryly, turning her attention back to Betsey Johnson's spring line.

"Well, it is," he said. "I mean, when we were growing up, Spied was the epitome of 'girls have cooties and they always will,' you know? We all always figured he'd actually play the guitar for his entire life, be a bachelor, and eventually live in a van."

"Wow, you set such high aspirations for him," she murmured. "It's no wonder why they fired you as their manager."

"Nic, come on," he sighed. "It's me, Jamie, here; I'm the guy everyone always goes to for the honest truth. Don't you want it?"

"Want what?" she asked, throwing the magazine onto the coffee table. "To hear that he and I are done? That I can't do a damn thing about it? Yeah, those are really comforting words, let me tell you, James."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Nic, can you look me in the eyes and honestly tell me that you think he can really be happy with Monica?"

Nic turned to face him. She opened her mouth to respond and then shut it. "I cannot tell a lie," she finally whispered.

"Okay, well, I didn't need the whole George Washington bit there, but yeah," he laughed. "Look, I know that you and I aren't as close as you and Kyle or me and Jude or even Jude and Spied, but we can talk, right?" She nodded and he continued. "I know that you've probably heard this a lot in the last week or so, but just let things play themselves out. If things between you and him are supposed to work out, they will."

"Except, I don't believe in that crap," she told him matter-of-factly. "That whole fate and destiny mumbo-jumbo. It's all just words to me; excuses, if you will, for people who are too good and moral to admit that they did something right in their lives."

Jamie closed his eyes as she stood up and to retrieve her things from Portia.

"Hey, I could've warned you that talking to Little Miss Stubborn Pants would be pointless," Kyle spoke up, sitting down in Nic's vacated seat. "She won't listen to Jude, or Tommy, or even me and Wally, so why would she listen to you?"

"Just trying to help," Jamie shrugged. "I guess I just don't like to see people unhappy."

"Join the club," Kyle joked.


	12. Chapter 9

**So, for anyone who guessed that Sophie would somehow bring Nic and Spied together, congratulations. Here it is.**

Later that night, after taking Sophie out for pizza and renting her the latest _Hannah Montana_ DVD, Spiederman sat in Monica's studio, looking around at all of her artwork. It wasn't that he didn't think she wasn't talented, because he knew she was, but the painting aspect of art was completely different than music and he just couldn't understand it.

"Vin, I don't feel good," Sophie whimpered, quietly walking into the dark room. "It's really hot downstairs."

He held out his arms for her to climb into and immediately noticed how warm she was. "Soph, stay here a minute, okay?" he advised. "I'm gonna find a thermometer."

After finding one in Monica's medicine cabinet, he took her temperature, only for it to come out at 104.6.

"Vin, I really, _really_ don't feel good," she muttered, her eyes fluttering softly as sweat poured down her face. "I think I need to go to sleep."

"Oh, crap!" he cried as she passed out in his arms. He gently laid her on the floor before scrambling to dial 911.

"What's the emergency?" the operator asked mechanically.

"Yeah, I've got my Goddaughter here and her temperature is at almost at 105 degrees and she just passed out!" he answered hurriedly. "I need an ambulance at 4364 Whitley Lane!"

"Sir, a medical team is on it's way," she told him. "Remain calm and keep a cool washcloth on her head."

Spiederman hung up, did as he was told, and dialed another number right after.

"Can I help you?" Nic answered coolly. "Has Sophie already decided that staying with you was boring?"

"Nic!" he cried, getting her attention quickly. "She's got 104.6 fever and she passed out. I've got an ambulance on the way; meet me at Toronto Children's Hospital!" he demanded, hanging up as the EMT's burst through his loft's front door. "I'm upstairs!" he called out to them. "Hurry!"

"Did you call Jude and Tommy?" Nic asked once they'd all made it to the hospital. "I tried both of their cell's, but neither picked up and I didn't want to leave it in a voicemail, so I told them to call me ASAP."

The two of them were sitting at a small table in Sophie's room. The young girl had been stabilized and was now sleeping soundly in her bed. The doctor's planned to keep her overnight to monitor her breathing, but expected her to be able to leave the next morning.

"I paged their hotel, so we'll see," he explained. "And since when do you not leave important information in a phone message?" he sneered. "You were so good at it a couple of years ago."

"Do you really think this is the time to do this again?" she sighed tiredly, adjusting the black-rimmed glasses on her nose. "It's almost 9:00 and I'd rather worry about Sophie, okay? Is that alright with you, God?"

He smirked. "You know, for as irritating as you are, sometimes your little quips are somewhat entertaining."

"Well, I'm only here to please you," she muttered, turning on the wall TV. "Might as well catch the last part of the news."

_"...A severe blizzard alert has been put into effect for the entire downtown area,"_ the reporter said, reading off her cue cards into the camera. _"All roads and highways will be closed to the public until further notice."_

Spiederman quickly shut off the TV and pulled back the blinds, only to reveal that it was completely light outside, due to the nearly three feet of snow on the ground.

"We got here just in time," Nic noted as her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered.

"Nic, what is going on?" Tommy demanded. "What happened to Sophia?"

"Tommy, calm down," she advised, sitting back in her seat. "She spiked a high fever, so Spiederman called an ambulance and we're now snowed in at the hospital," she explained. "Sophie is fine and sleeping. The doctor's wanted to keep her overnight to monitor her breathing and were going to release her in the morning, but according to the news, that may not be happening. And before you ask, they said our information will cover her as we're the Godparents and are legally allowed to do that in this situation. Don't come home and make it a bigger thing than it is."

She heard him sigh on his end. "We leave for twelve hours and our daughter ends up in the hospital. It's karma for not bringing her along."

"Yeah, I guess," she laughed, watching as Spiederman sat down next to Sophie's bed. The room was dark but she could still see that he was silently crying. "Look, Tommy, Sophie's gonna be fine, alright? Tell Jude I'll call in the morning and I love you all." She hung up and put her phone away before going to stand beside him. "It's not your fault, you know? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Kids don't just get sick," he mumbled. "I took her out to dinner; her coat wasn't thick enough."

"Spied, I bought her that coat," she pointed out. "It could get her through winter in Antarctica. And kids _do_ just get sick. I was in and out of hospitals all the time when I was her age. It must just be a Quincy thing."

He let his head fall into his hands, a thing she knew he did when he felt horrible. It was on instinct, not her own, that she bent down and hugged him.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but it looks as though you guys will be here overnight, as well," a nurse said, stepping into the private room, carrying a stack of blankets and pillows. "Either both of you can squeeze on the spare bed or one can sleep there and the other on the reclining chair." She set the linens on the table and left.

"Uhh, you can sleep on the bed, I'll take the chair," Spiederman said, pulling away from Nic slowly, though, deep down, he didn't really want to. "It's cool."

She eyed the uncomfortable chair and then the bed, which would probably fit them both, as long as they slept incredibly close. "I think we're both adult enough to sleep in the same bed, Vincent."

It was his turn to eye her warily. "Really, Nic? After everything that's happened in the last week, how do I know you won't strangle me with your pillow?"

"Please," she scoffed. "Nevermind. I'm not tired yet, so I'm gonna go find something to eat. Do you want anything?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed, pulling out his wallet and handing her five dollars. "Get whatever. You know what I eat."

"So anything?" she joked, taking the money. "I'll be back in a little bit."

While Nic was gone, Spiederman took the opportunity to call Monica at her parents' house to give her the update.

"Hello?" Elise Robbins answered politely.

"Hi, Elise, it's Vince," he said quietly into the receiver. "Is Monica around?"

"One moment, please," she said curtly.

A minute later, Monica picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," he said softly. "I just thought I'd call and tell you what's going on so if you call the loft and I don't answer, you won't worry."

"Are you out somewhere?" she asked with slight concern. "I heard about the blizzard and I don't want you driving anywhere."

"I'm not," he assured her. "Umm, Sophie actually got a really high fever, so I had her taken to the hospital," he reported. "I'm here now with her and Nic and the nurse just said we're stuck here overnight, so I don't know when I'll end up back home."

There was silence on her end before she spoke. "You're locked in the hospital with Nic? In a small room while Sophie's probably asleep? So it's solely the two of you?"

"Yes," he answered, knowing a fight would ensue, but probably not until she got home because it was _rude_ to argue over the telephone. "It's fine, Mon. Jude and Tommy are in California and we're her Godparents; it's part of that job."

"Vince, this isn't about you two being her Godparents and you know that," she said bitterly. "It's about the fact that you're with her right now, alone, and things between the three of us, yes, the _three_ of us, are on thin ice. Don't use Sophie as an excuse here."

Spiederman was tired of her insecurities about Nic. "Look, Monica, I'm done fighting about this. It's a little hurtful that you can't trust me enough around her, so I'm just going to hang up and you can call me when you get off your high horse." He shut off his phone and looked down at the sleeping child. "Geez, Soph, you have a really bad way of locking us up together, huh?"

"What happened to her?" a small voice asked at the door that Nic had left cracked. He turned to see a young girl, probably in her teens, standing in the frame. "Is she your daughter?"

"Oh, no," he answered quickly. "Godchild. Her mom is my best friend." He nodded to her. "You can come in."

She approached him timidly and her eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You're Spiederman!"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed on a chuckle. "What's your name?"

"Holly," she answered nervously. "I'm a big fan. I love your song, 'Finally,'" she told him.

"Thanks," he said, even though that song had been written about Nic two years before. "How come you're in the hospital?"

"I do some volunteer work with the nursery," she told him. "I was here when the blizzard happened and now I'm stuck. So, if she's your best friend's daughter, is her mom Jude Harrison? Well, Harrison-Quincy?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's nice that you do volunteer work here. I bet you get a lot out of it."

"I do," she replied. "I like the babies and the people I work with, so it's cool." She paused momentarily. "What were you talking to her about? Who are you locked up with?"

Spiederman smiled at her frankness. "My ex, Nic," he said. "She's Sophie's Godmother and Tommy's younger sister."

"Right, the writer," Holly nodded knowingly. "No offense, but she's much prettier than your fiancé, you know."

"I guess," he sighed. "What are you, the next Mary Hart?"

"Just a fan," she shrugged. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but I think that you and Nic should work things out. You guys have a past. All the magazines and stuff say your relationship with this fiancé, Monica, I think, is boring."

"Trust me, it hasn't been boring lately," he muttered. "Though that could be because Nic came back."

"See?" Holly put in. "You so love her."

He stared at the girl in disbelief. "I do not. As a matter of fact, right now, we're so much on the outs, we're practically on different continents."

"Sure," she mocked, making her way back to the door. "I should go check on the nursery, but it was nice to meet you."

"You, too," he told her. "You should stop by later if you get a chance."

"Scamming on children now?" Nic teased, walking back into the room as Holly was leaving. "Really, Spied, she looked 12."

"Nic," he sighed, taking a bag of Cheetos and Mountain Dew from her. "She's a fan; I have them."

"It was a joke," she told him, sitting back at the table. She reached into her bag and pulled out a book. "So, what did you get Sophie for Christmas?"

"An iPod," he answered. "It's all custom-made and stuff. You?"

"I'm not bragging, or trying to one up you, but I arranged months ago for Miley Cyrus to perform as Hannah Montana on Tuesday afternoon at Toronto Park in a private show," she explained.

"How much did that set you back?" he asked incredulously.

"Free," she shrugged. "I agreed to write an episode of her show for free, cause they've been asking me forever, and I said I'd do it in exchange for this."

He smiled. "That's amazing. She'll love that. Hannah Montana is her idol."

"That's what Jude says," Nic nodded. "Plus, I could use an easy job, you know? I mean, editing all day gets a little boring."

"Well, Jessica said you're doing Jude's bio," he pointed out. "That should be interesting to write, yeah?"

"I haven't started," she admitted. "I mean, she and I have to formally sit down and talk about where she wants to start it from and what she specifically wants left out. The foundation, you know?"

"Most likely, she'll want to start at entering _Instant Star_," he told her. "I mean, she doesn't really think her life was anything special before she met your brother."

Nic rolled her eyes. "Ick. All that yucky love stuff."

"Yucky love stuff?" he repeated. "You believed in it once upon a time."

"Yeah, well, things change," she muttered, reading her book.

The next half an hour was silent, as Nic read and Spiederman half-slept in the chair next to Sophie's bed. Suddenly, the shrill sound of 'Stars are Blind' rang from Nic's Chanel bag.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Nic, anything new?" Tommy asked.

"Dear God, it's only been an hour since we last talked," she said in exasperation. "She's still sleeping soundly, Tommy, and she'll be fine. Spied and I are here, so if anything happens, it's under control."

There was a quick silence as he handed the phone off to his wife. "So," Jude's voice came through, "she's alright?"

"She's fine," Nic assured her. "Stop worrying. Let Lex have fun. Take her to Disneyland. Do all that stuff you should do."

"Alright," Jude agreed. "I love you and when she wakes up, if she's okay, have her call. I don't care what time it is."

Nic hung up and looked over at her ex-boyfriend. "They're so freaked they can't contain themselves."

"She's fine," Spiederman laughed lightly. "Sophie's a fighter."

"That she is," Nic said. "God, I hate hospitals."

"Your dad, right?" he whispered quietly. "And your mom, too?"

She tried to hold back her tears, but knew it would be hard if she started talking about it. "Yeah. I mean, literally watching my dad die practically killed my mom and seeing her now is like just looking at a wall. I know that's horrible to say, but it's the truth."

"I know," he said. "I don't mean to bring up bad memories, but I remember coming over to your apartment on the night of what would've been your parents' 30th wedding anniversary."

"Yeah, not exactly my finest hour," she remembered. "You came in, I was sobbing in the dark, watching the video of their 15th anniversary at our house on Lake Erie."

He smiled. "You were a wreck and it broke my heart to see you like that."

"I know," she replied. "Man, we were good together, weren't we?"

"The best," he agreed. "This is crazy to talk about right now, especially under our circumstances, but maybe it'll help?"

"Yes, talking about what a good couple we were once will be awesome," she said dryly. "It'll just make me realize how stupid I was, once again, for leaving."

"I won't even bring that up," he promised. "Look, Monica thinks there's something going on between us and she has a serious problem with you and I being stuck here together and it's driving me crazy. In order for her to believe me, I have to be 100 sure you and I are completely over."

Nic sighed and put her book, _The Devil Wears Prada_, into her bag and turned to face him. "Spied, I know last night was bad; I'll admit that. While I don't regret what I did, I guess I could've done it better. And the fact that she saw us at the park sucks, but it was nice. That night, I mean. And as much as it pains me to say this, there's nothing left between us. I see that you're really happy with Monica and I'm going to have to accept that." She was lying through her perfectly white teeth but she didn't want to be the bad guy anymore.

"Oh," he nodded, her words hitting him like a ton of bricks. Even though he knew that he wanted to marry Monica, he wasn't ready to hear that Nic was moving on. "Well, good. I mean, maybe we can just finally be friends and get on with our lives?"

"That's probably the best idea," she nodded sadly, trying to smile. "I mean, even if mentally we're still teenagers, we're classified as grown-ups. I mean, you're 21, I'm 23. Adults, you know?"

He smirked. "There's a word I never would've used to describe me. Or you, for that matter. I mean, yeah, you graduated from Princeton and you have a really prestigious job, but you still secretly watch _Lizzie McGuire_ re-runs and listen to Britney Spears. Your favorite food is frozen corn dogs and you paint your all your toenails a different color."

"Is it weird that I like that you know that stuff?" she asked. "And that I'm not at all humiliated by any of that?"

Spiederman laughed. "It's not weird. I mean, I still sleep in Thundercats pajamas, my ringtone is the theme song to _Power Rangers_, and my own fiancé treats me like a child."

"See, that's what shocks me to death," she interrupted him. "When we were together, you never let me talk down to you. Not that I ever really did, but still, if I had, you would've fought me. Now, it's like you just let Monica walk all over you."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled. "It's just that, she's so different from you. She's so grown-up and sophisticated and I feel like I have to let her mold me into what she needs."

Nic stared at him and then flicked a fake whip at him. "Wow, you are whipped! My God, I'm embarrassed for you, Spied. Do your parents approve of that? And how long will it be until she's changing your music?"

"Nic, don't go there," he warned. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

"Oh, okay," she nodded sarcastically. "I know you, Spiederman! The real you, anyways. I'm kinda glad I don't know this 'Vince' guy that's taken over because he doesn't seem like any fun." She stood up and left the room, heading for the cafeteria to get some coffee.

"She didn't look happy," Holly noted, standing at the door. "Did you upset her?"

He eyed her warily. "Nic and I are complicated. I mean, we make Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown look like a happy family."

"That's really saying something," she joked. "How's your Goddaughter?"

"Still stable and still sleeping," he reported. "She'll be fine. Her parents are freaking out, but Sophie's tough."

"Are Jude and Tommy really that cute together in person?" she asked nervously.

"Hardly," he scoffed. "They fight and make-up like it's their job. But, they're perfect together, so it's cool. He pushes her, she shoves him; it's a love-hate marriage."

Holly sighed. "How come you and Nic aren't together anymore? I mean, I remember reading about you guys all the time in _The Tattle_ and _Teen People _about how happy you were. And there used to be so many pictures of you guys just walking around downtown and I was so envious, even at 14. Then, all of a sudden, news broke that you guys had split and two years later, you're engaged to Wally's cousin? It was just so mysterious."

"Come on in," he invited her, nodding at a seat at the table. "So, you really want to know the whole story?"

"Yes, I do," she confirmed. "And I promise not to blab it to everyone I know."

He cleared his throat and scooted his chair to sit in front of her. "Alright. Well, we got together a couple of weeks before Jude and Tommy got married and it was the best relationship ever for six months. Then, one night, I asked her to move into my new loft with me and she freaked. See, she's had a lot of family issues in her life, so that kind of commitment was really hard for her and she couldn't do it."

"So, what happened?" Holly wanted to know. "She just like, like, disappeared."

"To France," he explained. "Paris, to be exact. She works for _The Chronicle_ and they had offered her a transfer there and she accepted it. She's been gone ever since and now, she's back, and I'm getting married in a week."

Holly soaked in all the information and nodded. "Wow. You guys should be on _All My Children_ or something with that." She frowned. "So, how come you changed?"

"What do you mean?" he implored, interested to see what she'd say.

"Well, I don't mean to offend anyone, but well, you're different now," she said, trying to choose her words wisely. "I mean, before this Monica came along, you were always in magazines and doing interviews and letting your fans know who you were. Now, it's all mostly Wally and Kyle, who I love, but the band is The _Spiederman_ Mind Explosion, so not having you is a little pointless. You've bowed out of the spotlight and people are even calling you a sell-out. Like, you got your fame and money and now you're just giving up."

This was all news to him. Of course, it probably had to do with the fact that the only news that was ever on in their house was CNN and MSNBC, so he heard stock prices and stuff about politics in America. "Huh. I guess I've never thought of interviews as me letting people know who I am. Monica just said it's letting the public into a private life they're not part of."

"Monica, Monica, Monica," she laughed out. "What do _you_ want? Do you want to be the guy the musical world hates for thinking he's better without actually thinking you're better? She's twisting everything you once were."

Nic stood just outside the room, listening to the young girl from before give Spiederman insight on his own life. The girl was smart for only being 16.

"Anyways, I just think that you should think about yourself before you jump into this union," the girl was saying. "At least Nic let you be you."

"Look, Holly," he cut in, "like I said, Nic and I are complex. It'll never be normal for us until we can be normal as individuals. And _as_ individuals, we're as far from normal as possible."

_I'm so glad he thinks so highly of me to consider me crazy_, Nic thought to herself, sipping the coffee she'd brought back for him.

"Well, I should go again," Holly announced, breaking Nic's thoughts. "Good luck with whatever you do and remember, do it for you and not for anyone else." She left the room, raised an amused eyebrow at Nic, and sauntered down the hall.

"She should be a therapist," Nic said, entering Sophie's room once more. "I brought you a cappuccino," she added, handing him the half-empty cup.

He held it and looked at the nearly gone contents. "Did you trip and spill it?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your little session and I got bored," she shrugged.

Spiederman didn't respond. Instead, he pulled his seat back next to Sophie's bed and stared down at his hands. "I love Monica."

"And I love Ralph Lauren," Nic shot back. "What's with these sudden declarations?"

"I just wanted you to know that," he muttered.

"Trust me, I do," she whispered, kicking off her Ugg boots and looking at her diamond-encrusted Chanel watch. "Wow, I didn't realize it was already 11:30."

"Nic, that's nothing," he told her. "We used to stay up until 2:00 watching _Cheaters_ and _Blind Date._"

She smiled at the memories. "Yeah, good times."

"Hmm," was all he said. "So, Christmas is coming up."

"Yes, it is," she confirmed. "What did you buy Monica? A vacuum? Maybe a new set of pearls?"

"Funny," he mocked. "No, I got her a new easel and this really expensive paint set."

"Cute," she said. "A little boring, but so is she, so I'm sure she'll like it. What about everyone else?"

"A new set of guitar picks for Jude, vintage LPs for Wally and Kyle, crap for my parents, and a box set of _Baby Einstein_ tapes for Lex," he recited. "What about you? I know you shop for everyone you know."

Instead of telling him, she threw him her finished list from her bag. "I'm a generous person," she added.

_Jude- limited edition Converse designed by Kurt Cobain (pre-death)_

_Tommy- custom-made seat covers for the Viper_

_Sophie- Hannah Montana_

_Lex- every Disney princess movie ever made_

_Mom- new cashmere sweaters_

_Allen- leather briefcase_

_Lydia- new Hermes Birkin bag_

_Tra- tickets to Bob Dylan in London_

_Sadie- Tiffany watch_

_ Kwest- new Jordan's_

_Isabelle- exersaucer_

_Portia- Harry Winston necklace_

_Darius- Tiffany picture frame with pic of me and him_

_Wally- The Clash bootleg_

_Jessica- Ugg boots_

_Kyle- Tommy Lee's drumsticks_

_Spied- surprise, just in case this falls into the wrong hands_

"Of course," he smirked, reading the note next to his name. "How'd you manage Tommy Lee's drumsticks? Kyle worships that dog."

She shrugged mysteriously. "I have my ways."

"eBay?" he teased. "It's not considered 'a way' if everyone has access to it."

"Way to go, Spied, kill a girl's spirit," she joked dryly. "So, you know how we talked about _our_ shows? What do you watch with Monica?"

"Uhh, she likes _Trading Spaces_ and _Extreme Makeover: Home Edition_," he answered. "I'll tune in occasionally, but they're pretty boring."

"No kidding," she agreed. "Where's the excitement in knocking down a house you're just going to rebuild? Now, when the host got stabbed on _Cheaters_ for the second time? That was classic TV."

"And the guy who did it was like 75?" he added. "That was funnier to watch than the tape of back when all the entertainment news stations thought Jude was dating Wally."

Nic relished in the memories. "When we get out of here, and Monica's back and you're married and whatever, do you think we can stay like this?" she asked quietly. "You know, talk and remember without fighting for fifteen minutes?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I think the outside world makes it too hard for us. The universe likes to throw obstacles in our way."

"The universe, or you?" she corrected. "Because every time I try and give an inch, you take a mile. You're able to turn everything I do and say against me."

"It's not like you make it that hard," he remarked. "You don't think before you speak or act, Nic. While it used to be endearing, now it's annoying."

Nic was silent. Instead of responding, she made her way over to the spare bed, climbed in and turned on her side, away from him. "You mentioned sleeping on that reclining chair earlier, so maybe that's not such a bad idea."


	13. Author's Note 3

**Alright, I feel like I'm nagging now, but I need baby names. I know I said I had one for a girl, and it was Arianna, but I used that in a different story, so I now have a boy's name, but I need a girl's, as well. I wish I could tell you who it's for but I can't, I just NEED a girl's name. It has to mean something to the people at G-Major and it has to have a sweet nickname that can come out of it or good background. Any ideas are helpful, so give me whatever you've got.**

Love. Charley.


	14. Chapter 10

**So this is pretty much the end of the hospital stay. And for you fans of Nic and Spiederman, it doesn't necessarily end pretty, but don't worry, it'll get better eventually. And reviewers? Much love. Oh, this story should be completely up by the time my Spring Break ends on Sunday and then the updates will be more sporadic. Sorry.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

The following morning, Nic woke up to Sophie sitting up in her bed, eating a banana, with Spiederman nowhere in sight.

"Hi, Nic!" Sophie cried cheerfully.

"Hi, doll," Nic smiled, sitting up in the uncomfortable bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," the girl answered. "Vin went to get me some coloring books cause the doctor said that we still can't go home yet. It snowed," she added happily. "And Christmas is only in four days!"

Nic got out of the bed and ran a hand through her mostly decent-looking hair, even after sleeping on it wrong. "Did he have you call your parents?"

"Nope," Sophie shook her head. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Nic nodded, pulling her Razr from her bag. She dialed Jude, handed the phone to her niece, and stepped into the hallway to give her some privacy.

"What are you doing?" Spiederman asked a minute later as he approached with a bag of coloring books, crayons, and playing cards. "Sophie's awake."

"No kidding," Nic muttered. "I put her on the phone with Jude and gave her some privacy. Is that okay?"

He made a mocking face and sat down with her on the floor, folding his feet to keep any nurses from tripping. "I was just asking, Nicole."

"Please, do not call me that," she requested.

"You call me Vincent," he pointed out.

"Only when necessary," she replied. "So, how will we handle things when we can leave? Like joint custody of our Goddaughter with her parents in between?"

"I guess," he sighed. "I just don't think it's wise that you and I be friends for a while. Not until Monica eases up a bit."

"Fine," she agreed, standing up. "I'm not even sure I want to be friends with a guy who lets his fiancé choose who he does and doesn't see." And with that, she walked back into Sophie's room and slammed the door in his face.

"Why did you do that?" Sophie asked, handing Nic her phone. "That wasn't very nice, Nic."

"I know it wasn't, Soph, but sometimes, he just deserves it," Nic answered, sitting in the chair next to the bed. "What did your parents say?"

"That they love me and they're sorry they're not here," Sophie replied. "But it's okay, cause I feel okay and you and Vin are here, which is almost as good."

Nic smiled. "I think we're better. Or, at least, I know I am," she joked. "So, are you super excited about Christmas?"

"Yes!" Sophie squealed. "What did you get me?" she asked slyly.

"Coal," Nic replied with a serious look on her face. "Don't think your dad didn't tell me about you getting in trouble at dance class a lot."

Sophie's face fell. "It's only because I'm kinda better than all the other girls. Even Sadie says so and she's a teacher!" she whined.

"Just because you're better doesn't mean you get to rebel," Nic pointed out wisely. "I've been better than your dad at everything our entire lives but I don't brag."

"Nic, I'm sorry," Sophie apologized sadly. "I'll be nicer, I promise."

"We'll see," Nic shrugged vaguely. "Be good until Tuesday and maybe I'll surprise you."

"Okay," Sophie muttered. "Did Vin get me any coloring books?"

"Yeah," Nic said, going to open the door. "She wants her coloring books."

"Does that mean I can come in, princess?" he asked icily, getting up off the floor. "How nice of you."

Nic picked up her bag off of the table and stormed out of the room.

"I'm making you guys fight," Sophie whispered sadly. "I hate when I do that."

"Soph, no," he shook his head. "Nic and I have issues on our own. You're about the only thing we can ever agree on."

"Vin, can't you guys just be friends?" she asked him. "That's all I want for Christmas."

"Liar," he laughed. "You want everything."

"But mostly for you guys to be okay," she told him honestly. "I hate it when you fight."

He sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "So do I. Unfortunately, it's all we're gonna do for a while."

"But why?" she whined. "It stinks, Vin."

"Yeah, it does," he muttered, watching her color in silence.

Nic sat in the cafeteria, reading the newest issue of _Cosmopolitan_, which she'd bought in the gift shop, while sipping a hot chocolate.

"Can I sit?" a young girl, who she noticed was the girl Spiederman had been talking to, asked, taking a seat. "Thanks."

"Holly, right?" Nic mused, putting her magazine aside. "You and Spiederman are acquaintances?"

"Yeah," Holly nodded, tightening her ponytail. "So, more fighting?"

"You say that like it almost surprises you," Nic smirked. "Trust me, it's not so uncommon."

Holly smiled. "Does he fight with Monica a lot?"

"I don't know," Nic answered. "I only got back to Toronto last Friday."

"Boy, you work fast," Holly noted. "I mean, he said they were completely happy until you came back and that now, everything is all chaotic. He never mentioned that it's only been a week."

"I'm good at ruining lives," Nic laughed. "It's a Quincy gift."

"Whose life did Tommy ruin?" Holly wanted to know.

"Geez, what are you, the next Mary Hart?" Nic teased.

"Hey, he said the same thing!" Holly cried. "And no, I've just always been a big Boyz Attack/Jude/SME fan."

Nic smiled. She liked those kinds of fans who were faithfully loyal, no matter what happened. "Tommy ruined Jude's life, duh. I mean, do you think that when she won _Instant Star_ that she expected to fall in love with her 22-year-old producer? No. And then, when he up and left a few years ago? That killed her. He's been consistently changing her life for almost six years now."

"Yeah, but at least they got a great marriage out of it," Holly pointed out. "I mean, you knew him before Jude; don't you think he's better off now?"

"Much," Nic confirmed. "And according to her longtime best friend, Jamie, so is she. I'm just saying that for Quincy's, ruining lives has become an art form."

Holly smiled. "Well, there's something to be proud of," she joked. "So, do you still love him?"

"Who?" Nic asked, even though she wasn't stupid. "My brother? Of course I do."

"Oh, you're funny, too," Holly smirked. "You know who I mean."

Nic eyed her. "How do I know you won't use what I say against me?"

"Cause I'm a kid," Holly answered. "And selling your life story to _The Tattle_ is bogus."

"Right," Nic smiled. "And yeah, unfortunately, I do."

"I thought you might," Holly nodded quietly. "Why don't you just tell him that?"

"Gee, and make him hate me that much more?" Nic scoffed. "Pass on that."

Holly stared at Nic over the cafeteria menu and then put it down. "Look, I don't know you, and I only know him through magazines and TV interviews, but I know that the chemistry between you is there."

"Right, and by chemistry you mean tension," Nic noted. "Vincent Spiederman now sees me as nothing but a girl he once dated."

"Did you buy him anything for Christmas?" Holly interrupted.

"Yeah," Nic answered. "Why?"

Holly shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Right," Nic smirked, sipping her drink. "Well, only Jude knows what it is and hopefully, it'll stay that way. Unfortunately, I can't count on that cause she tells Tommy everything."

"Like a good wife," Holly added. "My parents tell each other everything and I don't think that's so bad."

Nic sighed. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'm not married, nor have I ever been, so I wouldn't know, would I?"

"Would you marry Spiederman?" Holly asked. "I mean, did you ever think about it?"

"Kid, I picked out our kids' names," Nic laughed. "Cameron or Brit Spiederman."

"Cute," Holly smiled. "Does he know that?"

Nic thought back to the night at the park, which had only been three days before. "Uhh, he knows about Cameron. Brit's one I keep to myself."

There was a momentary silence as Nic perused her magazine once more and Holly watched her intently. Even though she'd just spent a night in a hospital bed and was wearing the same white thermal and red Victoria's Secret sweatpants as the previous day, she still looked gorgeous, with her dark wavy hair framing her face.

"Take a picture," Nic finally mused. "It'll last longer."

"Sorry," Holly immediately apologized. "It's just that, well, you guys make a better couple. Even in appearance. I mean, her platinum blonde hair clashes with his dirty blonde hair. It doesn't bode well for pictures. Not that we ever see any of them though."

"Oh, I'll send you a copy of their Christmas photo," Nic laughed. "It's _adorable_."

"I'm sure," Holly grinned, looking at her watch. "Well, I'm due back at the nursery five minutes ago, so I'm gonna head up." She stood and looked at Nic once more. "Good luck."

Nic watched her go before calling out, "With what?"

"You'll figure it out," Holly replied vaguely, leaving the cafeteria behind.

Spiederman sat in Sophie's room, watching her color, listening to the silence. He was amazed at how content the seven-year-old could be while sitting in a hospital bed, even though she should've been home by now.

"Vin?" Sophie said softly, breaking the quiet. "Where's Nic?"

"Don't know," he answered. "Probably looking for lives to ruin."

She stared at him blankly. "Why would she do that?"

"Soph, Nic being here right now isn't good," he explained, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Yeah huh," Sophie nodded. "I missed her. Mommy and Daddy and Sadie and Kwest missed her. Didn't you miss her?"

"At first," he nodded, "but then I started dating Monica again and I forgot all about Nic." Lie. That was all a lie. He was lying to his Goddaughter. "And I know that you like having her back, but for me, it's not good."

"You're being mean," she whispered. "And I don't like it."

"Sophie, you're too young to understand," he sighed. "Nic and I have major problems between us that aren't going to be solved for Christmas; I'm sorry."

But Sophie didn't respond. Instead, she went back to her silent coloring and he sat back at the table, reading the paper that a nurse had delivered.

Suddenly, the door opened and Nic entered, carrying a bag from the gift shop. She pulled out bags of Doritos, Mountain Dew, candy bars, and a DVD of _Cinderella_.

"I figured you'd be tired of the crap they're feeding you," she shrugged, giving the junk food to Sophie. "And it was either this movie or _Dirty Dancing_."

Sophie pouted. "I love that movie. I want a dog named 'Baby,' but Daddy said I can't cause Lex is allergic."

"Yeah, letting her eat all that crap is sure to be good for her," Spiederman sneered. "At least we're in a hospital."

"Soph," she began, ignoring his comment, "how are you feeling?"

"Well, sometimes I get a little tired, but I'm okay," Sophie answered. "So, are you happy Christmas is in four days?"

Nic nodded and sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "Definitely; it's my favorite holiday, you know that."

"Are you still deciding if you're gonna get me anything?" Sophie wondered. "Cause I promise to be good in dance class from now on."

Nic smiled. "Soph, do you honestly believe that I wouldn't buy you a Christmas present? Come on, you know me better than that."

"Then what did you get me?" Sophie wondered excitedly, pushing aside her coloring books. She gave Nic the puppy dog look she'd inherited from her father, causing all people to melt.

"No way!" Nic cried, covering her eyes.

"Please?" Sophie pouted. "Nic, please?"

"Dang it," Nic sighed in defeat. "Well, how about I just give you a hint?"

Sophie nodded. "Okay!"

"Umm, Smokin' Oken?" she said, remembering that was something from the show.

"That's from _Hannah Montana_!" Sophie squealed shrilly. "Did you get me something with that?"

Nic shrugged. "I told you enough."

And with that, Sophie sighed contentedly and went back to coloring.

"She's so peaceful when she sleeps," Spiederman noted later in the afternoon while Sophie napped and he and Nic sat around, trying to separately occupy themselves. "And when she wakes up, it's like she's always trying to discover the secret to life."

"That or what all her Christmas presents are," Nic smirked. "Of course, what she wants most, she's definitely not getting."

Spiederman didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. "I know."

"I'm not even sure I can give her second best," she added.

"Which is what?" he asked. "Orlando Bloom wrapped in a bow?"

"Funny," she said dryly. "No, I don't even think you and I can be friends."

He stared at her momentarily before looking out the window. "Maybe someday."

"Yeah, when Liam wakes up nice," she put in sarcastically. "Come on, Spied; you and me? Not friends. Boyfriend-girlfriend? Sure. Each other's most hated? Definitely. But friends? No."

"Right," he whispered. "Cause that would be just horrible."

"Awkward more likely," she said. "We didn't start out like friends so we wouldn't even know how. We're very Ryan and Marissa in that way."

"Ryan and Marissa?" he repeated just as it hit him. "Right, _The OC_. Nice pop culture reference."

"I try," she shrugged.

The rest of the day was spent with Sophie sleeping on and off while Nic and Spiederman worked on avoiding each other profusely. He'd go off to talk to Holly and she'd talk to her friend Kiley from Montana on her cell phone. Later that night, just as things seemed to be calming down between them, disaster struck in the form of a phone call from Barrie.

"Hello?" Spiederman answered, putting his Sidekick to his ear. "Hi, Mon."

"Hi," she said softly, almost as if afraid of talking to him. "How's Sophie?"

"Sleeping," he replied, leaning back in the reclining chair. "She's been up though, coloring and driving me and Nic crazy these days."

There was silence on her end. "So, how are things with Nic? Is she around?"

Spiederman looked up at Nic, who was reading _The Devil Wears Prada_ again, in the chair next to Sophie's bed. "She's, uhh, not here now. I think she's down in the cafeteria."

Nic's head shot up at the mention of this. She rolled her eyes, closed the book, and watched him talk to his fiancé.

"Well, the news said the roads should be cleared by tomorrow, so you'll probably be released," Monica offered. "That's good news, right?"

"Yeah," he whispered, trying not to look back at Nic. "Sophie's all pumped about Christmas, so the next week or so, leading up to the wedding, should be exciting for everyone."

"I can't wait," she told him as he heard voices in the background. "Oh, Vince, I've gotta run; we're going out to eat. I love you and we'll talk later."

"Love you, too," he said just as he hung up.

"_Love you, too_," Nic mocked. "_Oh, no, Nic's not here; well, I'll tell you that so you don't rip out what's left of my puny spine and display it in your closet._" She gagged. "God, I feel inadequate just being around you."

"Look, you don't know what it's like to have your ex come back to town two weeks before your wedding, Nic," he snapped. "It's a difficult time for me, okay?"

"Right, and reading about the engagement in every publication made me want to go buy you a wedding gift," she shot back dryly. "Can I just ask you a hypothetical question here, Spied?" He nodded reluctantly and she continued. "When SME wins their first Grammy, which at this point, is inevitable, and you go up there to thank people, what will you say? _'I'd like to thank my wife and keeper, Monica, who I wouldn't be able to do anything without because she dresses me and tells me who to talk to and just completely runs my life so well.' _Puke, Spied. I mean, _come on_. That's so not you."

"You have no right to say who I am anymore," he said bitterly. "You gave that up the night you refused to live with me."

Nic stared at him angrily. "Why is it that every time we fight, you bring that up?" she whispered. "I'd rather talk about my parents than talk about that."

This caught him off guard. He then knew how much she hated herself for leaving because she never talked about her parents; ever. "No," he said, shaking his head, "you don't get to make me feel bad now, Nic. None of this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. I wouldn't be marrying Monica, Sophie wouldn't be in the hospital, and you wouldn't be so unhappy and alone."

"I hate you!" she spat, throwing her book at him. She stood up, climbed into the spare bed, and laid down on her side. "You can rot in Hell for all I care."

Spiederman didn't respond. Instead, he picked up her book, put it in her bag, and sighed.


	15. Chapter 11

**Sorry, another filler chapter. Nothing big really happens here, just kinda stuff. Christmas, though, is big and it's coming up, so don't worry, I don't think I'll let you down. The car bought in this chapter is my future care, just so everyone knows. LoL. And golfa chickie, Holly will make a later appearance, somewhere down the line in this four-part series.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. (it's become my mantra)**

The following morning, Spiederman woke up to find a nurse helping Sophie get dressed into her street clothes and Nic missing.

"Vin, wake up!" Sophie cried. "We're going home!"

"Where's Nic?" he yawned, tying his shoes. "Getting coffee?"

Sophie handed him a piece of paper with Nic's signature loopy scrawl on it.

_Soph, I woke up early and had to get home to get some work done. Call me later if you want to do something fun. I love you. Nic._

"Nice of her to wake us," he grumbled, signing his Goddaughter's release papers. "Alright, are you ready?"

Nic got back to her apartment, showered, and sat on her couch, looking through an old photo album. They were all from the few months before she'd left for Paris, mostly of her and Spied. Some were magazine pictures out of _Us Weekly _and_ Teen People_; others were press-releases by G-Major; and quite a few were of her, Spiederman, and all their friends. She missed it; she missed everything that was in the pictures. And now, that was the only place she'd ever see it again.

"Hey," Kyle said as he, Wally, and Jessica let themselves into her place half an hour later. "How was the hospital?"

"Oh, loads of fun," she answered dryly. "Nothing more fun that being locked in with Spiederman for 36 hours."

Jessica laughed. "I'll bet. So, how's Sophie?"

"Fine," Nic answered. "She was fine an hour after we got there but circumstance kept us there. It was good the first day though cause her fever came back twice, but she's okay now."

"And Spiederman? Is he okay? I tried calling him but he didn't answer his cell," Wally reported.

"Who cares?" she shrugged. "If it were up to me, I'd never speak to that _boy_ ever again."

Jessica nodded knowingly. "Ah. So, what was the fight about this time?"

"I prefer not to talk about it," Nic replied, putting the picture book on her glass coffee table.

Kyle picked up it and immediately flipped to a specific page. "This is my favorite photo of you guys ever," he said, showing it to her. It was from some goofy sleepover Darius had held at G-Major from two November's before and she and Spiederman had sang 'Anyone But You' and he was playing a guitar solo and she was smirking at him over her shoulder. "Kinda sums up what you guys were: him showing off and you, amused, but totally in love."

"Stop," she warned, slamming the book shut and throwing it on the floor across the room. "It's water under the bridge."

"And I have a feeling a flood is coming," Kyle muttered to Wally.

"Jess," Nic spoke up, ignoring his comment, which she'd heard, "wanna go shopping tomorrow?"

Jessica's eyes widened. "God, you're still not done Christmas shopping?"

"Something like that," Nic answered.

"I wish I could, but I have school," Jessica told her. "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, go be a doctor, save some babies," Nic joked.

Spiederman woke up in the morning to find Sophie packing her bags and tying her shoes. "What are you doing?" he yawned.

"My dad just called and said they're home and he's coming to get me," she told him. "Are you mad?"

"No," he told her tiredly, helping her finish up. "I'm sure they miss you and want to make sure you're okay."

Sophie stared at him. "Vin, why are you so mad at Nic?"

"It's complicated," he sighed, sitting down on the couch. "Things happened between Nic and me that were bad and I just can't forgive her for them yet."

"Is it because she left?" Sophie whispered. "Cause I was mad at her for that too, but she promised me she'd come back and she did! I forgave her, can't you?"

"No!" he snapped. "I can't, so drop it."

"I don't like when you talk to me like that," she pouted. "It's mean."

They sat in silence until Tommy let himself into the loft ten minutes later.

"Daddy!" she squealed, jumping into his arms. For as much as he adored Lex, Sophie would always be his little girl; she was, after all, his first child. "I missed you!"

"Hi, baby!" he grinned, kissing her forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just had a fever, but it got better and then we had to stay cause there was a blizzard."

Tommy looked to Spiederman. "So, me and Jude want to thank you for taking such good care of her while we were in California."

"And Nic!" Sophie put in. "Nic was there, too!"

"Right," Tommy nodded. "So, we'll see you later?" he added to Spiederman. "Tomorrow, at G-Major, or no?"

Spiederman scratched his head. "Yeah, I'll be there. I think Monica will want to finish some Christmas shopping, so I should be in."

"Bye, Vin," Sophie said, hugging him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he answered, shutting the door softly behind them.

Jude was just getting Lex down for her nap when the phone rang in the kitchen.

"Hello?" she answered, washing the Playdough off of her hands.

"Come outside!" Nic cried. "Hurry!" She hung up.

Jude sighed, put the phone on the counter, picked up Lex out of her bed, and carried her to the elevator. "This had better be important," she grumbled as they reached the ground floor. "Oh, my God."

Outside, Nic was leaning against a brand-new black Lexus RX330, with the infamous Quincy smirk plastered to her face. "You like?"

"What is it?" Jude asked, trying to shield the sleeping infant from the cold.

"It's an SUV, Judy," Nic replied dryly. "And I decided that the Mercedes just wasn't cutting it for the winter, so I did a little last-minute shopping. For myself, of course."

"Nic," Tommy groaned from behind her. "You bought a new car? What, do you think, we're made of money?"

"Tommy, I'm worth $95 million, so I kinda am," she reminded him. "Money is no object to me."

"Wow!" Sophie breathed, walking around the luxury SUV. "Can we go for a ride?"

"If it's okay with your parents," Nic agreed.

Jude passed Lex to Tommy and scooped Sophie up in her arms. "Maybe later, okay? First, your dad and I would like to spend some time with you; Nic got you all weekend and we missed you."

"Alright," Sophie whined, looking at her aunt. "Later?"

"Definitely," Nic nodded. "I'll take you for ice cream after dinner."

"Ice cream?" Lex asked, sitting up from Tommy's shoulder. "For me, too?"

Nic laughed. "Yeah, for you, too."

"I cannot believe she bought herself a new car," Tommy murmured as he and Jude took their kids back up the elevator. "She's completely impulsive."

"You're right," Jude agreed, letting Lex and Sophie run off to watch TV in the entertainment room. "But, the Mercedes isn't practical from October through March in Toronto, and it's a two-seater, so if we need her to take both girls somewhere, they wouldn't all fit. This is probably a good idea for her. I mean, you have the Ranger Rover, but still drive the Viper whenever you can. You're just mad that she's doing something you've already done."

Tommy eyed her and turned on the stove to make grilled cheese and macaroni, Sophie's favorite meal, for dinner. "Jude, she's buying things to fill the void in her life that Spiederman left. The next thing she comes home with will be a life-size dollhouse for Lex; then she'll be giving Sophie a jet. It's not healthy."

"Oh, she's not hurting anyone," Jude sighed, setting the table. "Look, Nic's the strongest girl I know; but, she's desperately in love with someone she no longer has and that kills her; kinda like I felt when you dated Carley that whole, like, three days when I came back from New York; it's like watching your own funeral."

"Yeah, Carley Anthony," he remembered. "God, I wonder what she's doing."

"She's Jessica's therapist," Jude laughed. "Well, not that Jessica sees one, but she studies with her sometimes at the hospital cause Jess is still undecided between Psychology and Pediatrics."

"Huh," Tommy smirked, putting butter in the skillet. "So, what's the deal for Christmas? Who's coming, who's not?"

"Uhh, the usual," she shrugged. "Sadie, Kwest, Isabelle, Kyle, Wally, Jessica, Spiederman, Monica, Jamie, Patsy, and Mason. I invited Maria but she's going to Florida to visit family. Darius and Portia are flying to BC to stay with their parents for the holiday; he actually mentioned taking Kellie." Kellie Reeves was Jude's album cover designer whom Darius had been seeing since the summer, on and off. "That should be interesting; I mean, Darius is his mother's pride and joy, so I'm not sure any woman, even one as spectacular as Kellie, can measure up to Mama Mills' standards."

"She liked me," Tommy pointed out.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't trust Portia's judgement in men, so there you go," she teased. "God, don't you remember that photographer she dated last summer? He was horrible."

Tommy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I thought Darius was going to murder him at that barbeque Kwest and Sadie had."

"So, about Christmas," Jude said, changing the subject again. "What for food? Sadie insists on bringing the turkey, and Jessica's doing all the desserts, so I'm thinking we whip up some mashed potatoes and gravy or something and we're done."

"Yeah, that's fine," he said. "Is Nic coming?"

"Yeah," Jude answered. "And dear God, wait until you see all the crap she bought for everyone. I don't know what mine is but I know everyone else's and wait until you see what she got for Spiederman."


	16. Chapter 12

**Okay, this is just Christmas Eve and when Nic gives Sophie her present, but it sets up for Spiederman's Christmas present to Nic, so it's needed. And I brought in Shay again cause I like writing him as a good guy, so I did that. After this, only 2 more chapters, I think.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

Christmas couldn't have come sooner for Sophie. She woke up Christmas Eve, ran through the penthouse, flung open the front door and raced to Nic's apartment. She let herself in and sprinted to her aunt's bedroom. "Nic, get up, it's Christmas! What did you get me?"

"Sophia!" Tommy yelled from the doorframe, as he'd heard and followed her the whole way. "What do you think you are doing, young lady?"

"Tommy, chill," Nic yawned, sitting up. "If I were her, I'd be excited about what I got her, too." She winked at Sophie. "You, and everyone else, just be ready to leave at 12:15, got it?"

"Got it!" Sophie mock saluted before racing back to her apartment.

"What did you get her, Nicole?" Tommy asked. "Something I'll have to disassemble?"

Nic smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, climbing back under her pillow. "12:15!" she yelled out.

By the time 12:15 had rolled around, Sophie was so excited she couldn't stand it. Nic allowed for her to ride along in the Lexus, giving Jude time to tell Tommy what was happening at the park.

"Why is there a stage?" Sophie wondered excitedly, pulling Nic to the center of Toronto Park. "Are my mom and dad singing?"

"Not quite," Nic said. "You stay here with them and wait for everyone else to show up while I go backstage to make sure everything is ready."

Fifteen minutes later, once Sadie and Kwest had shown up with Isabelle, along with Jude's parents and Spiederman and Monica, Nic stepped out from behind the stage and held a microphone in her hand. "So, some of you know why we're here, some of you don't. Sophie is not easy to buy gifts for, so this year, I didn't buy her anything."

"What?" Sophie yelled.

"_But_," Nic continued, "I did call in a few favors and so, without further ado, please welcome to this little makeshift stage, Miss Hannah Montana!" She jumped down as the actress/popstar took to the stage, starting with Sophie's favorite song, 'If We Were a Movie.'"

"Vin," Sophie whispered in awe, not taking her eyes off of her idol, "that's Hannah Montana! And she's singing for me!"

"Merry Christmas," Nic interrupted, coming up behind them. "Is this better than the Barbie Jeep from last year?"

"I love it!" Sophie squealed, jumping into Nic's arms. "How did you do it?"

"I'm actually gonna write an episode of the show for this," Nic explained. "I've already started it and there's a guest character named 'Sophie.' Cool, huh?"

Sophie just nodded and turned her attention back to the stage.

"Vince, can we go yet?" Monica whined, tightening the belt around her wool coat. "It's

Christmas, it's cold, and we need to get ready for my parents' house."

"Monica, if you don't mind my saying so, shut up," Nic told her coolly. "Let him be here while his Goddaughter enjoys her Christmas present. You can go and get all dolled up for Mommy and Daddy, but let him live his own damn life."

"Who are _you_ to talk to her like that?" Spiederman demanded.

"Guys," Jude warned, stepping in between them. "Not today. No fighting on Christmas."

Spiederman glared at Nic once more before allowing Monica to drag him away to her Volvo.

"Remind me to ask him later," Nic muttered.

"Ask him what?" Jude asked, bopping along to the kiddy music.

"What it's like to be a guy with no balls," Nic answered, walking away.

"Whoo-hoo, gotta love Christmas," Sadie joked, swinging Isabelle to the music. "I'm sensing some Scroogey-ness going on?"

Jude sighed. "I don't know how to fix it. It's like, as soon as they have any kind of break-through, one of them says something wrong and the fight just escalates."

"Jude, let me tell you something that will release all the pressure you and Tommy have put onto yourselves," Sadie whispered. "You guys can't fix it. No matter what you do or how hard you try, only Nic and Spiederman can. It's all up to them. Stop forcing them into something they're so obviously not ready for."

"I know, I know," Jude nodded, "but they're my best friends. I can't stand to see them hating each other. Not when they were so good together."

"Yeah, I get it," Sadie said. "I want it, too, but they gotta do it; not us."

Nic spent Christmas Eve at her apartment, talking to her aunt and uncle on the phone while watching her favorite holiday classic, _Home Alone 2: Lost in New York_. Jude, Tommy, and the girls had gone to Jude's mom's house to spend Christmas with her side. Wally and Jessica were with his parents, Kyle was with family, and Jamie and Patsy were with his nana and cousins. So, she opted out of all of that to sit at home, eating Chinese takeout, wondering if she'd ever be happy. Before she could mope any longer, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered, pausing the movie.

"If someone had told me that you were back in town and didn't already have Spiederman wrapped around your finger, I'm not sure I'd believe it until I saw it and since I can't see it, I'll settle for hearing it," a cool male voice said on the other end.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't S-to the-H-to the-A-to the-Y," she teased. "How's life, Shay-Shay?"

"You know," he replied nonchalantly. "Still rapping, still platinum. Uncle D's loving my new album."

"I'm sure he is," she smiled, playing the movie once more. "How's Christmas with the fam?"

He scoffed. "Please. Portia is trying to get Grams to hate Kellie, Darius is trying to spike Portia's punch, my parents are watching with great pleasure, and my brother is beat-boxing to all the fighting."

"Sounds like fun," Nic laughed. "Wish I was having it."

"Yeah, so what's with you and the Boy Wonder?" Shay asked. "I mean, I heard he was engaged through Portia, but now that you're back, he's not groveling at your Ugg-booted feet?"

"Since I'm the one who ruined that storybook romance long ago, no," she replied, adjusting her glasses. "You know us Quincy's: too much too soon and we run like Forrest Gump."

"Nice analogy, Lorelai," he joked, referring to a nickname he'd given her from the show _Gilmore Girls_ because of her constant pop culture references. "I haven't been in Toronto since Jude denied my invitation to tour, so I haven't met this Monica, though I've seen pictures and have heard many stories. And while Jude says she's nice enough and Darius says she's alright, I'd rather hear what _you_ think."

"I'll bet you would," she smirked. "I don't like her," she admitted. "And yes, it's for the sole reason that she has him and I don't, as 6th grade as that sounds, but it's the honest to God truth, Shay. She's so country club and prissy and blah."

"Sounds perfect for Spiederman," he said sarcastically.

Nic rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as perfect as you were for Jude."

"Ouch," he replied. "Down, girl. And, as a matter of fact, I've been seeing the same girl, continuously, for five whole months now. Can you believe it?"

"And which booty girl is she?" she asked playfully.

"Ha ha," he said dryly. "Actually, her name is Lauren Miller. Ring any bells?"

"She's a photo editor for _The Chronicle _in New York!" Nic cried. "I love her." She stopped. "What does she see in you? I mean, she's a world-renowned photographer and you're a rapper."

"Oh, that doesn't hurt too much," he remarked. "She's actually working on a book to raise money for AIDS awareness in America and I was one of the first celebrities to agree to take part in it and we hit it off. She's cool and real and down-to-earth; she's like Jude without the 'tude."

"Aww, but it's the 'tude that makes her Jude," she laughed. Nic loved Shay. In fact, if it hadn't been for his overly inflated ego and excessive 'blingity-bling,' and her brother's absolute dismay, she would've dated him. Maybe. "Well, Lauren's a smart girl, so she must know what she's doing."

"Shay, as much as I'd love to be talking to Nic right now, too, it's time for dinner," Portia interrupted, picking up another phone in her mother's house. "Nic, I'll call you sometime this week to get together." She squealed. "And thanks for the necklace, sweetie."

"Anything for my favorite ex-sister-in-law," Nic grinned. "Merry Christmas, guys," she said. "And Shay-Shay, don't be a stranger," she added before hanging up.


	17. Chapter 13

**I lied. I said there were only two more chapters after the last and there are four more after this one. So, yay. Umm, maybe I've built the Spied/Nic gift exchange too much, but I like it and it will come back into play in the sequel to this story. So, uhh, welcome to Christmas.**

Nic woke up the next morning, late as usual, and sighed. She knew she was supposed to be getting over to Jude and Tommy's now, but she'd had one too many margaritas the night before and wasn't feeling so hot. After a quick shower, she threw on a pair of old Hollister jeans, a Victoria's Secret sweatshirt, and her favorite Chanel slides. As she was preparing to leave, she noticed a yellow envelope that had been shoved under the door. Picking it up, she dumped a CD and little note out onto her bar.

_Nic-  
Merry Christmas.  
-Spied_

That was all it said. She put the CD into her stereo system and listened. She recognized the first song, 'Hate (I Really Don't Like You)' by the Plain White T's. **(if you don't know it, look it up; great song.)** The entire song was about hating the girl he'd once been with and how she meant nothing to him anymore. Completely heartbroken, she went to the next song. It was the same thing. So was the third. Twelve times. That's how many times he'd put the same song onto one CD.

Suddenly, just before she could start to cry, her phone rang.

"Nic, where are you? Lex and Sophie are dying to open their presents down here," Jude said quickly. Nic heard Lex screaming in the background. "Come on."

"Uhh, I'm not feeling so well," Nic lied, "so I'm just gonna stay here. Tell the girls I'll come by later this afternoon once everyone's left." She hung up and went back to bed to cry.

"Is she coming?" Sophie demanded. "I'm getting impatient."

"_Getting_?" Spiederman teased from the couch where he was holding Isabelle. "I think you're beyond impatient now, kid."

"She said she's not feeling well, so she'll just see you guys later," Jude shrugged, motioning to the presents. "Be my guest, girls."

Not needing to say anymore, Sophie and Lex raced to tear into the gifts, throwing bows and paper all over the place.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to Nic's sudden absence than not feeling well?" Tommy muttered to his wife as their girls fought over a present that was actually for Isabelle. "Should I go down there?"

"What's that?" Sophie asked excitedly, pointing to a big box near a corner, breaking the conversation. "Is it for me?"

Sadie, who was closest to it, leaned over and read the tag. "Actually, it's for Spiederman from 'Santa.'"

"Okay," he said hesitantly, handing the baby to Kwest as he dragged it out. He unwrapped it quickly, much like the girls had, and stared in disbelief. "It's the Fender Telecaster." He looked around at the group. "Who did this? Dude?" he asked Jude. "No, you did the _Star Wars_ and you guys wouldn't do more than that."

Tommy eyed him pointedly. While he'd never been told about the guitar, he knew where it had come from. "Who do you think?"

"No way," Spiederman denied, even though he knew fully well she'd bought it. "Why?"

"_Why_ do you think?" Jude cut in.

Spiederman didn't know what to think. He'd given her something so horrible and yet, she'd given him the one thing he wanted most. Instead of sitting in the living room any longer, he walked to Sophie's room and let himself onto the balcony, shivering in the cold morning. Against his better judgement, he pulled a rumpled carton of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, lit one, and sighed. What a bad time to be at such a crossroad in his life: three days before his wedding. His bachelor party was the next night, followed by the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the big event Saturday. And while his head was in it, he was beginning to truly wonder if his heart was still with girl who owned the balcony two doors down.

"That's a bad habit, you know," a soft voice called out.

"I know," he muttered, scared to look over at her. "I only do it when I'm stressed."

"And why are you stressed now? Did you get a depressing mix CD, too?" she asked quietly.

"Nic, why'd do you do it?" he asked, ignoring her question. "What did I do to deserve that guitar? Last I recall? Nothing."

She shrugged slightly. "You're still just Spiederman, I guess," she finally answered. "As much as I try to fight it, I can't."

"I know what you mean," he murmured. "God, I feel completely horrible for giving you that CD. It's just, well, I made it yesterday and I was so mad at you for the way you spoke to Monica and I guess I just channeled my anger that way. I'm really sorry."

"Yeah," she whispered. "No offense, but it's too late for that cause you're not sorry you did it; if I hadn't bought you that guitar, you probably wouldn't feel any remorse." Nic was cold now; and not just her body temperature. "You always do that. You apologize when someone does something nice because it's the right thing to do; you never do it because you actually want to."

He felt the tension in her voice. Looking at her, he felt terrible. She was wearing pink flannel pajama pants, her white bomber jacket, her hair was in a messy side ponytail, and her glasses perched on her nose. "Nic, you don't get it, alright? I'm getting married in _three days_ and I shouldn't be doubting everything right now, okay?"

"Why are you so doubtful?" she demanded. "All I did was come home. Did you really believe I'd stay in France forever, Vincent?"

"Maybe I did," he answered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his ancient coat. "I mean, up until last Christmas, I wanted you to come home so bad I couldn't stand it. Then, things with Monica started picking up, and, afraid _this_ would happen, I prayed to God you'd stay, letting me get on with my life without any interruptions. But, you Quincy's sure know how to make a grand return."

Nic stared at him pointedly, her eyes like ice. "Your so-called 'cuteness' has really bad timing." And with that, she walked back into her apartment and slammed the door, leaving him to stand alone on the balcony, feeling completely defeated.

"I think she's done," Sadie said, stepping outside. "Nic, I mean. She's been putting herself out there since she came home, hoping for some kind of reaction from you, but I think she gets it now."

"How do you know?" he asked coldly. "You got Kwest pretty easy."

"How do you think I felt when Tommy picked my baby sister over me?" she responded. "I tried so hard to pretend it wasn't happening, that he'd pick me again in the end, but he didn't and I quit trying. And now, that's what Nic's done; she's finally quit trying."

He knew Sadie was right. As much as he hated to admit the love of his life was finally giving up, he knew she was done. He'd blown it one too many times and that was it. "I should get going. My parents are expecting Monica and me by 3:00 for lunch."

"Go," she nodded. "Merry Christmas, Vince."

Spiederman, who had gone back inside, turned to face her once more. "What?"

"Without Nic anymore, that's who you'll become: Vince Spiederman, married at 21 to the wrongest girl for him ever." And with that, she pushed past him and made her way back to the rest of the group in the living room.


	18. Chapter 14

**Okay, this is a really short chapter, so I'm posting two at a time. This little bit is kinda the climax and everything falls into place after. Just so you know. Love to the reviewers, as always.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

"Dude, come on, stop sulking," Wally groaned as he, Spiederman, Kyle, and Jamie sat in the rehearsal space the next night, waiting on the other guys to head out for Spiederman's bachelor party. "This is, like, your last night as a real man before becoming Mr. Monica Robbins, so quit being such a girl."

"Quit nagging," Spiederman shot back. "You sound like Monica."

"Sounds like someone forgot to take their Midol this morning," Kwest smirked from the door as he, Tommy, and Darius stood under the threshold.

Spiederman stood up and put on his jacket. "Shut up and let's just go."

Wally, the best man, and Kyle had arranged to have the bachelor party at a Toronto club, Eviction, as soon as they'd found out about the engagement, so the managers were ready. It had been a limited crowd that night and they were playing music Spiederman would appreciate and it was good. Or, at least it started good.

"So, I got a phone call from an old friend this morning," Hunter, the assistant manager, announced into the microphone as he stood to the side of the stage. "Tonight, Mr. Vincent Spiederman is here, celebrating his bachelor party with a few other famous friends, and this friend and her friends prepared a little something special for him as one final gag before his fiancé, who I was told is quite conservative, turns him into a boring stay-at-home husband." As he said that, the lights on stage dimmed and five female figures appeared. "She said to call them the G-Major Mamas."

"Oh, guys, I changed the song at the last minute," a familiar voice said softly as the Pussycat Dolls' 'Don't Cha' began to play through the club's speakers. "Sorry."

The light came up just as Jude, Sadie, Portia, Jessica, and Nic began quite a performance, dressed in not much clothing at all.

"Oh."

"My."

"God."

Tommy, Darius, and Kwest watched in horror as their sisters and/or wives danced around, looking _almost_ like strippers, but, having enough alcohol in them, they began to enjoy it.

"Yeah, shake it!" Wally called out, slurring more than slightly, as Jessica sauntered towards him. "Who's taking you home? Oh, that's right, I am!"

"Oh, God," Spiederman muttered, making eye contact with Nic. Of the guys in attendance, he was the only one who had hadn't been drinking and the only one sober enough to understand why Nic had changed the song. While he didn't know what the original song had been, he knew the replacement well enough to understand the meaning behind it.

Finally, they finished and the girls immediately hurried to the bar, hoping to drink away the embarrassment they were now going to suffer through. After sufficient amounts of alcohol, Jude, Sadie, and Jessica made their way back to Tommy, Kwest, and Wally, ready to go home for the night. And, because the kids were all with Maria, it was bound to be an interesting night in their households. Darius and Portia stumbled into a fourth taxi, trying to hold each other up while not puking on the other. And then, it was just Spiederman and Nic, standing under the street light, waiting on rides.

"Where did that come from?" he asked, breaking the silence. "It was pretty unexpected."

"They'd been planning it as a joke for a week or so, but I was just told about it this morning," she explained. "And although you've been pretty crappy to me, I agreed to do it cause they needed me. I mean, Jude's uncoordinated, Sadie's all 'Mom' now and she only does classical ballet, Portia lacks the charisma, and Jessica knows muscles but not how to use them. I, on the other hand, am a one-woman show."

He threw back his head and laughed. "Right."

At last, a taxi pulled up in front of them and they looked at each other awkwardly. He was fully dressed, but tired; she only had a long wool coat on over her 'costume.'

"You go," they said simultaneously.

"We'll just share," she sighed. "My apartment is on the way to yours."

They got in silently and sat on opposite ends of the backseat.

"Can I come up and use your bathroom?" he asked as the cab pulled up to her complex. "Real quick?"

"Sure," she agreed vaguely. "Can you wait here for five minutes?" she asked the driver. He nodded and she led Spiederman to the lobby elevator. "And by the way, you're paying for the ride."

After using the bathroom, Spiederman walked into Nic's living room to find her in the kitchen, wearing only her bra and silk short shorts, pouring orange juice into a mug. He knew he should've been going back to his awaiting cab. He knew he should've been getting home to Monica. But, despite what he knew was right, he also knew that if he left then, he'd probably regret it for the rest of his life.

She turned around and found him staring at her. "What are you still doing here? That guy won't wait all night."

"He can go," he shrugged, slowly making his way towards her.

"What are you doing?" she said, her grip on the mug loosening. "Monica's probably already home, waiting for you."

"I love you, Nic," he admitted, almost inaudibly. "God, I don't know what took me so long to realize it, but I do. It's you, it's always been you."

Nic dropped her cup. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her and she was kissing back


	19. Chapter 15

**Another shorty, but I promise, the last two chapters WILL NOT disappoint. **

The following morning, Spiederman woke up in a familiar place, but it wasn't _his_ place. Then, he remembered the night before. The kissing, the movement to her bedroom, the following activity.

"Hey," she said softly from the door, wearing her purple robe, holding a cup of coffee. "You want?" she offered.

He jumped out of the bed and began dressing quickly. "I gotta go."

"What's the hurry?" she asked in confusion. "It's only 7:30."

"Yeah, and I should've been home last night," he replied, tying his shoes rapidly. "God, how could I have been so stupid?"

"Stupid?" she repeated.

"I'm getting married!" he cried. "And to me, that means something, Nic!"

"What about last night?" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "You told me that you loved me and that it was always me."

"It was all a mistake," he said, throwing on his t-shirt. "A stupid, reckless mistake."

She threw her coffee and he ducked just before it slammed into his head. "Get out of my house!" she screamed furiously before completely breaking down, crumbling to the floor. "I can't keep doing this. I can't keep putting myself in these situations where I put my heart on the line for you to just walk all over it. Just get out."

"Nic, I-," he started, but he stopped himself. There was nothing he could say to change her mind and he wasn't going to try. Instead, he finished putting his clothes on and walked to the door, leaving her to sob uncontrollably by herself.

"Nic?" Jude called out later that afternoon, letting herself and Tommy into the apartment. "Are you here?" She looked around, noticing that everything seemed to be in place and that it was cold, very cold. "Nic?"

"Let's check her room," Tommy suggested, leading her towards the hallway.

When they got to her room, it seemed empty, as well. That is, until Jude shut the door and found Nic huddled in the same corner as that morning, sleeping uncomfortably, her head resting on her knees.

"She was crying," Jude noticed. "And she's shivering."

"Hey," Tommy whispered, leaning down to gently nudge his baby sister. "Nic, wake up."

Nic stirred and looked up at them, tears filling her eyes once more.

"What happened?" Jude asked, helping her up. "Is everything okay?"

"No," Nic whimpered. "He lied. He lied and I fell for it. How can I be so stupid about him? I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton, for Christ's sake!"

Tommy looked at his wife in confusion as they helped Nic into her bed. "Nic, did something happen last night with Spiederman?"

Nic scoffed. "Oh, no; I'm just crying because my tear ducts were full and they needed to be emptied."

"Okay, since I'm taking that as a 'yes,' why don't you fill us in?" he asked, ignoring her sarcasm.

She sighed. "After last night, we shared a cab because there was only one and my apartment was on the way to his loft. He came up to use the bathroom and when he came out, he just stood at the door of the kitchen, staring at me in my bra and shorts cause I'd thought he'd already left; he hadn't. He then preceded to admit that he still loves me and that it's always been me. Next thing I know, he's kissing me and leading me back here." She paused. While Nic was very open and independent, sharing her sex life with her brother wasn't something she wanted to go into. "Certain, umm, activity followed and it was pretty good. So, I wake up, see he's still sleeping and go make some coffee. When I come back, he starts getting dressed, telling me he's gotta go and that it was all a stupid and careless mistake and that's he's marrying Monica and whatnot. Reactively, I threw my coffee at him," she continued, nodding to the shattered mug on the carpet, "told him to get out and that I was tired of letting him walk all over me and he left."

Jude absorbed all this and let out a long sigh. "Jesus, I thought our relationship had been a roller coaster but I don't think it ever involved coffee being thrown."

"Oh, I threw a book at him when we were stuck in the hospital," Nic added. "I should've been a pro softball player."

"Nic, I'm so sorry," Tommy apologized softly, pulling her in for a hug. "Are you alright?"

She wanted to be cynical. She wanted to spew out enough sarcasm to make Seth from _The OC _look serious, but she couldn't. "I will be," she answered honestly. "It'll take a while, and probably a lavish vacation to Turks and Caicos, but I'll be fine."

"We'll skip the wedding," Jude announced impulsively. "He may be my best friend, but he doesn't have the right to treat you this way, Nic."

"Sure he does," Nic said, standing up. "I'm his doormat. For as independent and strong-willed as everyone seems to think I am, namely you two, when it comes to Vincent Spiederman, while I put up a good front, I'm Jell-O."

After helping Nic clean up, Tommy and Jude walked to the elevator to head to G-Major to do some follow-up work on 'Where It All Went Wrong,' which Spiederman had begrudgingly sang back-up on, after much coercion.

"Jude, you know we have to go to the wedding," Tommy mused, unlocking the Range Rover as soon as the elevator opened to the garage. "It's tomorrow, I'm an usher, and to back out now would be rude. I may not quite be up to Monica's standards, but my parents raised me well."

"I know," she nodded as he pulled onto the main road, "but he's been so crappy these last couple of weeks. I wish I could slap reality into him."

"We all do," Tommy noted, stopping at a red light. "Vin Spiederman has never been the most mature guy, but he's not stupid. He'll realize what a mistake he's making, even if it's after the wedding. Sure, he'll then suffer a messy divorce, cause he said there's no pre-nup over his $15 million, but that's his problem, not ours."

G-Major was pretty quiet for the day, mostly because this was going to be a big wedding and Portia had ordered most of the interns to help her with details while Darius was plotting how to cash in on it with Liam. Wally and Kyle were having their last tux fitting with Jamie across town and Kwest was spending the day with Sadie, nursing their hangovers. Oddly enough, the only person they found was the groom himself.

"Hey," he said quietly from the recording booth of studio B, strumming softly on his old acoustic. "How are you guys feeling after last night?"

"I could ask you the same question, Vin," Jude shot back.

Spiederman stopped playing and put the guitar aside shamefully. "I take it you talked to her?"

"'Her?'" Tommy spat angrily. "You don't even have the decency to call her by her name now?"

"What do you want me to say, Tommy?" Spiederman yelled, pacing with agitation. "I could say that I love her and you'd hit me, or I could say that I'm over her, and you'd hit me! It's a lose-lose situation for me here!"

Jude stepped in between them just before her husband could throw the first punch. "Whoa, guys, chill. We don't want Spied to ruin Monica's perfect wedding pictures with a black eye and I don't want to make any trips to the emergency room because Tommy's broken his hand. Now, we're all going to part ways and let it go. Spied, we'll see you tomorrow."


	20. Chapter 16

**I can't help it; I feel like I need to finish this story up so I can start posting it's sequel because it's been my favorite thus far. **

Nic woke up the next morning to her phone ringing. Groggily reaching over to her night stand, she picked it up and held it to her ear, channeling Patsy with her response. "Talk."

"Knowing you, I shouldn't have been surprised you'd answer that way," a polite, yet cool, voice said quietly. Monica. "Is this a bad time?"

"Well, since you'll be rather busy later, now's as good of time as ever," Nic muttered, sitting up and leaning back against her headboard. "What can I do for you?"

Monica was silent, as if planning her speech. "I need to know that after today, you'll leave us alone. I mean, no more cute bickering or heated stares or out-of-control fights on holidays. Can you promise me that?"

"Can he?" Nic shot back, not meaning for it to come out as it had. "Look, I don't mean for that to sound as bad as it did, but that bickering and those stares and the fighting isn't one-way."

"I know, but the only way I know he'll stop is if you do first," Monica explained rationally. "No, Mother, I am not wearing Grandma's pearls; I have my own," she said to the background. "Look, I'm not a bad person and I just wish you would see that."

"Monica, to be completely honest, the only reason I dislike you as much as I do is for the sole reason that you've got him and I don't," Nic said simply. "Beyond that, you're not so bad; not exactly someone I'd go shopping with, but okay nonetheless."

"Fine," Monica conceded. "Just as long as you know that in twelve hours, I'll have a ring on my finger and you won't."

One sentence. That was all it took to knock Nic into reality. "Uhh, yeah," she finally mustered up. "You're right."

"I know he was with you on Thursday night and while I'm definitely not okay with it, I understand he needed to get it out of his system because he'll probably always have you on a pedestal, but me in his arms," Monica added.

"Oh, _My Best Friend's Wedding_ called, they want their line back," Nic smirked, her anger coming back. "Look, if you don't mind, I've got some sleep to catch up on and I guess you should go find your pearls." Nic hung up, threw her cordless phone across the room and flopped back down under her covers.

"Can you believe this, dude?" Spiederman asked Jude as they sat in his side room of St. Andrews Church, preparing for the ceremony which was set to start soon. "I'm getting married in, like, fifteen minutes."

"I know," she smiled. Since she hadn't been invited as a bridesmaid, Spiederman had promised she could help him get ready and give him the final 'talk' before the event. "Congratulations, Spied, really."

"Yeah?" he said, adjusting his bow tie once more. "Do you think we'll make it?"

Jude had to bite her tongue from being brutally honest. "I think that, like every marriage, it's gonna take some work, but if you try hard enough, yeah, you will."

"Alright," he accepted. "How do I look?"

She wasn't sure how to answer. His hair had been straightened, much like it had looked at her and Sadie's Disco party years ago **(think 'Stranger in the House')**, but then, it had been to fit the theme; now it was just out of place and weird. He was wearing the traditional tuxedo with tails and George Robbins' diamond cuff links. He looked ridiculous. "Umm, you look ready," she answered cautiously. "I guess it's what you should look like for a wedding."

"That bad, huh?" he joked. "Well, if it'll make Monica happy, I'm good." He sat down on the small couch next to her. "So, any last words of wisdom?"

"Always keep your money in your front pockets," she teased. "No, uhh, I guess I just want you to be completely sure this is what you want and as long as it is, you're golden."

Spiederman sat back and closed his eyes. While he'd been hoping the image that appeared would be his soon-to-be wife, it was Nic, crying the morning before when he'd told her that saying he loved her had been a mistake. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought and let out a long breath. "I think I'm good."

"Then let's go," she replied, standing up and holding out a hand.

The ceremony started out much like the rehearsal had. Cute, quick, and as planned. The priest read passages, his dad and hers spoke, and Spiederman was doing alright.

"If there is anyone here who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest called out.

It was then that Spiederman noticed for the first time that Nic wasn't there, as everyone on his side, along with Monica's parents, discreetly turned to look for her, waiting for her to speak up. But, she didn't.

Just as the priest was about to continue, Tommy stepped out of the usher's formation. "I object."

"He does?" Jude whispered frantically to Sadie, who was sitting on her left. "Why?"

"Dude," Spiederman warned, feeling Monica freeze next to him. "Don't."

"Spiederman, I can't let you do this," Tommy explained. "Not to Nic and not to yourself. While you might love Monica, you're not _in_ _love_ with her because you gave your heart to my sister years ago; your whole heart and you still don't have it back. We all see it; man, you see it but you're too scared to act on it because you don't want to get hurt again. But, you're not even the same guy anymore and it's just painful to watch. Look, us Quincy's, we're not exactly programmed to be in stable relationships, but when the right person comes along, we settle." He looked back at Jude momentarily. "I think you need to be that person for Nic. Trust me, you'll regret this before the morning."

"Dude," Spiederman said again. "No, shut up."

Tommy took a deep breath, almost as if to speak again, but he refrained and stepped back in between Kyle and Kwest.

"May I go on?" the priest whispered.

"Yes," Spiederman nodded. "Please do."

Jude closed her eyes. That was it; she and Tommy had failed. Spiederman was really going to marry Monica and Nic was going to be screwed.

"Do you, Vincent Adam Spiederman take Monica Christine Robbins to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Spiederman paused. He knew that 'I Do' should've been coming out of his mouth but it wasn't. He couldn't. "I can't," he whispered. "Monica, I can't marry you."

In the first row, George and Elise Robbins gasped; Jack and Lindsey Spiederman smiled happily at each other, and Jude's eyes popped out of her head as she waited for him to go on.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Tommy's right," he told Monica, who was horror-stricken. "I am still fully in love with Nic."

Monica's shoulders slumped. "What is so fascinating about Nic Quincy?"

"Everything," he smiled. "For starters," he began, pointing to his hair, "she doesn't make me do _this_. Umm, she doesn't care if I sleep until 11:00 on weekdays or watch Saturday morning cartoons. While I rarely admit this, and I may never again after this, she's a better guitar player than I am; I may have the charisma but she has the skill. And finally, she loves me for me, not for who she _wants_ me to be." He stepped down off the altar and started to walk away, turning back just once more with a slight smirk on his face. "And the name's 'Spiederman.'"

"I was more than willing to say 'yes,'" she muttered.

"I know," he nodded, "but I wasn't." And with that, he ran out, just as chaos erupted.

"He did it!" Jude squealed, rushing up to hug her husband tightly. "He's not as dumb as we all thought."

"Well, he is, but he has his moments," Jack put in jovially, wrapping an arm around Lindsey's waist. "Our boy's finally growing up."

Before anyone could say anything, Patsy, who was dressed in a morbid black ensemble, pushed past them and stood in front of Elise and George, who were still dumbfounded, and snapped a picture with Jamie's digital camera. Looking at the display screen, she smirked at the photo. "Oh, yeah, there's one for the scrapbook."


	21. Chapter 17

**The end is short, but I like how it happens. I hope you all liked this story as much as I liked writing it and the sequel, which will be titled 'Third Time's the Charm' will be up soon. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

Spiederman sped out of Toronto, heading for the familiar park, twitching with anticipation of what would happen next. When he got there, he parked as quietly as possible, ran a hand through his hair, and stood next to his Jeep, staring. There she was, sitting on a swing in the park, slowly moving from side to side. It was incredibly cold out, yet all she wore was an orange Princeton University sweatshirt, a white scarf, and jeans with her tan Ugg boots. Her hair was down and wavy, and her shoulders were slumped over. He smiled sadly at the sight.

Before he could approach her, she slowly pulled her cell phone from her front pocket and put it to her ear. After a minute, she spoke. "Hi, it's me. So, I'm just leaving you this message to tell you that I really am happy for you and that I hope you guys have a really good life together. I know that things between you and I will never be the same, but you deserve the best, Spied, and I think that you know that. So, uhh, good luck." She shut the pink Razr and sighed, leaning her head against the chain, swinging back and forth.

"It's pretty cold out here, huh?" he finally said, causing her to stop what she was doing. "Shouldn't you be wearing a coat, kid?"

"Shouldn't you be leaving for your honeymoon?" she asked, not turning around, afraid he wasn't really there and she was imagining it.

"Honeymoons are for people who get married and since I didn't, I shouldn't be on one," he explained softly, approaching her with caution. "Come on, Nic, I'm not stupid. I mean, yeah, it took some time for me to come around and realize I was making a mistake, but I made the right choice in the end."

Nic stood up and stood in front of him, face-to-face. "What happened?"

"Funny story, actually," he laughed. "So, we're standing up there, at the altar, and the priest gets to the objections part. Everyone seriously looked around for you, but when you weren't there, he started to continue. That is, until your brother stood up and said what I big mistake I was making and that I'd regret it within hours and that I was changing into something I'm not. Humiliated, I ignored him and we went on. Then, it got to me having to say 'I Do,' and I couldn't do it."

"So you just left Monica standing there?" she interrupted. "In front of all those people? Spied, that's pretty crappy."

"Fine, would you prefer I go back and marry her?" he teased, turning away for his Jeep.

Nic grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I didn't say that."

"That's what I thought," he smirked. "So, now what?"

"Now," she started, "you kiss me."

And he did.

Jude and Tommy woke up early the next morning to someone banging on the door of their penthouse.

"Oh, my God, who is that?" Tommy grumbled, stumbling down the stairs and to the door, with Jude close behind. "If this is Sadie, wanting to go shopping, tell her Christmas is over."

He opened the door to reveal Spiederman and Nic standing under the doorframe, smiling goofily.

"What's with you two?" Jude asked, yawning loudly. "And whatever it is, couldn't it have waited until later?"

Instead of answering, Nic held up her left hand, revealing that her mother's ring had been replaced by a princess-cut diamond ring, obviously from Harry Winston.

"We just figured you'd like to know first," Spiederman shrugged, taking Nic's hand. "Come on. We'll come back when they decide it's time to wake up."

"I don't think so," Tommy said, pulling his sister back. "Come in; I'll put on some coffee."

After spending an hour discussing the previous night, Nic and Spiederman, coming down from their adrenaline high, decided it was time to leave. Just as they were opening the door to Nic's apartment, Tommy stepped into the hallway.

"Wait, I need to do something really quick," he told them. "Stay here." He left the penthouse door cracked open and ran back to Sophie's bedroom. "Soph, get up for a minute."

The young girl sat up. "What do you want, Daddy?" she whined as he dragged her out of bed. "I'm sleepy."

"I know," he replied, "but I have a surprise for you." He pulled back the front door to reveal Nic and Spiederman, just as he was kissing her softly. "Merry Christmas, Sophie."

She squealed and rushed to her Godparents, finally getting her wish.


End file.
